


Knight and Changeling

by EmrysTheMerlin



Series: Hero Time [4]
Category: Ben 10 Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Always a Different Sex, Ben has PTSD, F/M, Fem Ben 10, Female Ben Tennyson, Forever Knights - Freeform, Gen, Genderbending, Jen 10, Jennifer Tennyson, Sir George - Freeform, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-05-23
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:55:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 34
Words: 43,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23832730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmrysTheMerlin/pseuds/EmrysTheMerlin
Summary: Betrayed at close quarters Jennifer Tennyson finds herself tossed back in time to an age of knights and kings. But this time of intrigue is not all it seems, a great threat looms and Jen must choose between fighting the threat and teaming up with a most unlikely ally. But how long will she stay in medieval England when she knows there are threats waiting back home? Can she find her way back alone? Once there will she ever trust again?
Relationships: Ben Tennyson & Gwen Tennyson, Kevin Levin & Ben Tennyson, Kevin Levin/Gwen Tennyson
Series: Hero Time [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1626832
Comments: 77
Kudos: 71





	1. Lost But Found

Jen was in shock. She had no idea what was happening as the group of knights collected what they could of their fallen, picking up shields that were torn and scorched from the dead. Sir George stepped over to her pulling his cloak off his shoulders. 

“Here young changeling.” He wrapped it around her and closed the clasp around her neck. “You seem shocked.” Jen stared at him. 

“I have no idea how I even got here.” George nodded, bright blue eyes kind and understanding. 

“Many things have happened in recent days that we have no explanation for. The men believe the swordsmith sent you.” Jen glanced down at the sword that hung by the knight’s side. On the hilt was set what looked like a solid stone but within it was the symbol of the Omnitrix, the symbol of the Plumbers, the Ultimatrix symbol. Jen glanced down at her wrist where the Ultimatrix sat. George frowned slightly. 

“You say your name is Jen?” Jen nodded distracted. 

“My full name is Jennifer. But my friends call me Jen.” George nodded. 

“Lady Jennifer do you know how to ride?” Jen frowned at him. She noticed a younger boy leading two horses up to them. 

“No. That’s something I never learned how to do.” George nodded and held out his hands to her. 

“May I assist you then?” Jen looked over him. 

“I don’t really have a choice do I?” George frowned. 

“You have my word you will not be harmed. As a knight of Albion honor means everything to me. You shall not be harmed.” Jen frowned and held out her hands to him. He scooped her up and set her sidesaddle on the steed before mounting the horse behind her. Jen had seen horses in the petting zoo when she was a kid but this was nothing like those. This horse was massive a war charger nearly twice the size of those horses she’s seen before. She had no idea where to hang on to the creature. She had no idea how she’d even gotten here. The last thing she remembered was Gwen chanting something in a magical language after one of those green slimy creatures had taken control of her. Had Gwen done this? Jen closed her eyes as George took the reins and urged the horse into a trot. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

George regarded his charge with a critical eye. She could be no older than his daughter had been when she had died at the flames of the Dagon, sixteen years old. But her hair was oddly short, her clothes strange. He had never seen a woman in trousers before much less ones that tight. He shook his head slightly as they made their way though the carnage the Dagon had left behind. They were many miles away from the castle yet and several of the buildings here were still smoldering. He had but wounded the Dagon before it had struck its blow against him. 

She had healed him with a touch. Her skin had been shimmering like cut stone with small stars shimmering in her skin the same green as the short tunic she wore as a human girl, the same color as her eyes and the swordsmith’s symbol. A few of the knights were already whispering that she was a creation of the fey smith’s, like the sword itself. He wasn’t so sure. But as they arrived at the castle it was clear that she had never seen a town nor a castle. Despite the hollow look in her eyes she looked upon the world with the innocence of a child. He helped her down from the horse. Several of the servants stepped forward. George nodded to one of the women. 

"Take Lady Jennifer here to change into something more suitable to greet the king please Catherine. I believe my daughter’s clothes will fit her well enough.” Catherine nodded stepping up to Jennifer. She was an older maid who had once served George’s wife and daughter, trustworthy to a fault. She regarded the strange girl but curtsied and nodded taking her by the hand and leading her away. The king’s squire had come out to meet him. George nodded to him. “I must speak with his majesty as soon as is possible. This girl’s appearance is a sign that we must advance our steps against the creatures, and the demon that controls them.” The squire bowed and hurried off. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Jen still wasn’t sure what was going on but since Paradox hadn’t shown up to take her home yet she had no choice but to go with whatever this was. If he didn’t she had no idea how she would get home. She was ushered into a large chamber by the woman, Catherine. She looked her over and clicked her tongue. 

“You are a strange one. But if you are to meet the king then we must make you presentable. Come now, off with these strange clothes while I fetch you something suitable.” Jen frowned but the woman was insistent. In what felt like no time she was laced into a literal corset. It wasn’t as uncomfortable as it seemed in all the movies but it was a bit tight. The skirt was large and long, so long that Jen was nearly afraid she would trip on it. It was a dusty blue with pearls trimming it. There was a darker blue overlay that was also trimmed in pearls. The blouse matched the underskirt with lace and pearls as well. The sleeves were large which was lucky because as she stated multiple times the Ultimatrix did not come off. Catherine ran a brush through her short hair and tutted again, fixing a blue veil in her hair to cover the back of her neck. By the time Sir George knocked on the door Jen felt thoroughly ridiculous. But he smiled and bowed slightly. He offered her an arm. 

“My lady. The king has granted you a place here in the palace under my tutelage. We believe you were sent to assist us in this war of ours against the creature who besieges our land. A blessing sent by the fey who forged Ascalon.” She nodded but kept silent. 

She had figured out what happened now. The journal she had found with Kai almost a year ago was this knights journal. The same Sir George. The changeling who had appeared so recently in his writings was her, that was clear now. What wasn’t clear was how all of this would end for her. According to Greggory the changeling from the story had vanished after the Dagon was defeated. Whatever happened now it seemed that she was in this until she found a way home, or until Paradox came to get her. But she really wasn’t looking forward to fitting in here. She just wished she’d had time to read further in his journal.


	2. Training Begins

The king greeted her warmly but spoke more to Sir George than to her. 

“You will take all responsibility for the changeling Sir George.” George nodded and bowed. Jen curtsied awkwardly following his lead the king looked her over with a critical eye. “You appear to have your work cut out for you.” George bowed again and led Jen off before she could tell the king just what she thought of that, which was probably for the best. 

It took a few weeks for them to fall into a routine and a compromise. Jen did not like the clothes very much but the traditions would not allow her to return to her normal clothes, so they compromised with skirts an inch shorter than was usually permissible and without the petticoats that were the fashion of the day which made training much easier. 

George seemed to have made it his goal to teach Jen everything he knew of combat as quickly as possible. 

“Again.” He said swirling his sword as Jen scrambled to her feet snatching up her own weapon. It was difficult to say the least, Jen hadn’t worked with bladed weapons before, she had worked with guns before but never blades. She was getting decent with a sword after several weeks of intensive practice. It helped that she had some combat training from Grandpa Max. Surprisingly she was much better with knives than she was with a full sword. George nodded as she threw another of the daggers into the target. 

“Very nice.” Jen raised an eyebrow at him as she flipped the dagger in her hand.

“Did you teach your daughter how to do this?” She asked as she tossed the blade at the target, it sank into the target near the center. George frowned slightly. 

“It isn’t common for young women to learn combat. Even the daughters of Knights.” Jen rolled her eyes. “But I will admit I showed her a few things. She did not have your talent with blades though, nor of course your ability to transform.” Jen nodded. 

Over the last month or so she’d kept her mouth shut on details of where she came from and who she really was. She had no idea how much she might mess up the future if she revealed anything. But she’d confirmed a few of her suspicions. George was indeed Sir George the knight who’d owned the journal that she and Kai had found. There was no sign of the green journal yet but Jen wasn’t sure she wanted it to show up. But she couldn’t help but wonder if Stardust’s reaction to the book had been because it was her mana sealing it, in the future for her but the past for the book. The best she could make of it was that it was as close to a paradox as things could get without breaking reality. Maybe that was why Professor Paradox had yet to show up to take her home as he had when she’d accidently trapped herself in Rex’s world. George called a halt to their practicing for lunch. One of the servants brought them out a lunch on the training field. They ate mostly in silence but after a while George turned to her. 

“You never speak of home. Do you have others of your kind waiting for you when the Dagon is defeated?” Jen shrugged. She had no idea what was happening back home. She’d been gone a full month. There was no telling what was happening back home. In her first few days the Ultimatrix had reset again, claiming an interrupted connection to Primus, meaning that even when she transformed she was stuck in the medieval clothes she’d been forced into since first appearing here. The outfit wasn’t too objectionable though, a plain green dress with black trim that reminded her very much of the girl in the tapestry.

It turned out that Azmuth was way older than Jen had ever realized since he was apparently around now as was his most fond creation. Primus was a manufactured planet that held the Codon Stream which served to hold a sample of every beings DNA that Azmuth knew of. She wouldn’t be surprised if he was out there somewhere in the stars starting work on the Omnitrix. She had no way of knowing though. Her communicator was useless, the tech inside it too advanced for the current tech of whatever Plumbers may or may not be in the area, even if they were how could they help? She shook her head. 

“I hope I do but I don’t know.” George nodded slightly looking contemplative as they finished the meal. He stood and held out a hand to her. She took it letting him pull her to her feet. 

“Come with me. We have several things we need from the market.” Jen nodded. She was practically accompanied everywhere here. Which really she couldn’t blame them for. But George sort of reminded her of her father with his overprotective streak. It made her heart twist. She hadn’t really said goodbye to her parents before she’d vanished. Her mother was probably storming the Plumber base in search of her by now. She sighed as she followed George to the market. She was unpleasantly surprised to learn that they were shopping for a horse, for Jen. 

“If you are to accompany me on the hunt for the creature you must learn to ride. I will leave you in the capable hands of the stablemaster. He will help you find a suitable mare. I have a few more things I need.” The stablemaster was a stubborn old man who didn’t listen to Jen in the slightest. He seemed to think he knew best about everything but none of the mares he suggested could keep up with the war chargers the Knights rode. Jen rolled her eyes. She’d be better off just running as XCLR8. But one of the stable hands found the solution. A pure black charger, younger than the other war horses but much more patient. He was thought to be of too kind a temper to be a war horse but after feeding him a few apples and getting a lesson in saddling from the stable hand, Jeoff, she managed to mount the horse. 

“Very good my lady! You’re a natural.” Encouraged Jeoff from where he stood at the edge of the pen ready to leap in and assist her at any moment should it prove necessary. Honestly it was sort of like riding a motorcycle that had a mind of its own. Gentle applause came from the other side of the pen. George stood there nodding. 

“He is right. You are quite talented. Can you bring him over here?” Jen nodded and carefully guided the steed over to the fence with only one minor stop. George nodded again and Jen spotted a few wrapped packages under his arm. “Jeoff help her down.” Jeoff scaled the fence but Jen managed to get herself down before he could intervene.

“Thanks but I can do that myself.” George shook her head, at this point mostly used to her stubbornness. 

“What will you call him?” Jen patted the horse again, feeding him another apple. 

“Phillip.” 

“A strong name for a strong horse miss.” Jeoff said grinning and taking the reins as George handed a bag of silver to the horse-master. Jen grinned running a hand through her hair, narrowly missing the string of pearls Catherine had forced into her hair that morning. Evening was beginning to set around them as they made their way back to the castle. As he did every night George escorted her to her rooms. They were just off the Knights own rooms, she had a feeling they had also been his daughters when she was still alive. 

“Tomorrow we must attempt to try and find the creature.” Jen nodded. There had been no new sightings of the Dagon since she’d appeared and helped the knights drive it off. If Jen wanted to get home anytime soon she had to find the Dagon as soon as possible.


	3. Certain Truths

Jen arrived at George’s quarters a little early, planning on tracking the Dagon using a bit of its blood George had cleaned off Ascalon after wounding the creature. It should work in theory the same way Gwen could track people from personal belongings. Jen frowned she’s been trying not to think of her cousin for the past month as she settled into her new life in medieval England. Gwen had sent her here, controlled by the demon thing. According to George they were called Lucubra and had the ability to control beings as well as to kill and did both without much discretion. For all Jen knew her cousin was still under the things control back in modern day Bellwood. She sighed as she slipped into the knight’s rooms. She hadn’t been in here before and she was curious. She spotted the packages he’d bought in the market yesterday on one of the desks but that wasn’t what grabbed her attention. No what caught her eye was a standard in the corner. It was gold, or looked to be anyway. 

Affixed to the top of the pole was an intricately smithed eagle. Jen frowned as she stepped over to it. She had only ever seen things like it in textbooks of her history class. It hadn’t been her best subject true but she’d at least found the Romans less boring than most of the ancient cultures she studied. This was the standard of a roman legion. She blinked and turned as the door opened. George stepped into the room and frowned at her. 

“You’re early.” He stated glancing at the standard. 

“What’s this?” She asked almost angrily. Everything she’d seen and what little she knew from what Kai and Greggory had told her about the book suggested that she was in eleventh century England, nowhere near Rome, much less a legion. 

“A relic of a past I left behind many years ago.” Jen’s eyes narrowed. He seemed to sense she was going to say more and stepped over to the standard. “The past is a thing best left behind.” Jen’s glare intensified. 

“If that were true I wouldn’t be here.” She spat out at him and he flinched. She hadn’t meant to be so harsh but apparently it was the push he needed. He sighed. 

“My true name is not George. I was born Georgius many leagues away from here. Some days it feels like an eternity ago. When I reached maturity I realized something was different about me. I did not age as my fellows did. I was driven from Rome for it. So I sought a life elsewhere. But I was never left in peace. After a time I found a place here. But the Dagon snatched away my happiness. It would snuff out every good and pure thing in the world and far beyond. I will not see this happen.” Jen nodded. 

“Good we’re on the same page then.” She sighed and sat down on the desk. “I haven’t been completely honest either. Azmuth, the swordsmith, he didn’t send me. I was attacked by one of the Lucubra. I’m still not sure how that translated to me ending up here. But if what I know is accurate then we can beat the Dagon together.” George nodded smiling slightly as Jen twisted the dial on the Ultimatrix over to Stardust. She hadn’t transformed a lot over the past month, it unnerved the locals. She only transformed when strictly necessary and it was starting to get a bit boring but she’d spent more time as Stardust than she ever had, partially because if any of her transformations could transcend time and space that was it. So far that hadn’t worked. She wasn’t quite desperate enough to try Alien X, knowing that if she did there was a good chance she’d be stuck as the statue alien for a long, long time. George shaded his eyes slightly at the glow of the green Anodite. 

“Ok where’s the blood?” She asked pulling Charmcaster’s old spellbook from thin air. She’d been ecstatic that she could still do that. It felt like a link to the future she was from, though it was small and could only be accessed in this form. She cradled the book in both hands smiling slightly at the memory of the sorceress herself. She’d tried to contact her too, hoping that Ledgerdomain might exist outside of real time since it was technically its own dimension. But no luck there either. George pulled a bloodied handkerchief out of a drawer and handed it over. Jen folded her legs and closed her eyes, focusing on the blood on the piece of cloth. 

It was like focusing on a spike being driven into her brain. She grunted in pain and dropped it. George frowned. 

“Is it not possible.” Jen held up an hand flicking through Charmcaster’s old book. 

“It’s not that it’s impossible, it’s that I’ve never tracked anything like this before.” She flicked a few more pages in and frowned tapping the page. “There is an easier way to do it!” She turned the page so he could read it too. “We’ll need a few things but we should be able to get them. As long as the good King isn’t afraid of magic.” George nodded. 

“King Arthur acknowledges that magic has its uses.” Jen blinked at him. 

“We don’t have time to unpack that King Arthur is ok with magic. We need to get moving to the nearest coastline. I can get most of what I need from there but we’ll need a vessel for the spell.” George frowned. 

“A person?” He asked sharply. Jen shook her head. 

“No. It actually says here that is the worst way to do this spell. People die, people get hurt, spells break when that happens. Objects though can last a very long time.” George pulled one of the packages off the table and pulled off the brown paper wrapping. 

“Would this do?” He asked holding out an all too familiar green leather bound book. Jen would have rolled her eyes but Stardust had no pupal or iris. The Plumber symbol, Azmuth’s symbol was emblazoned on the cover. 

“You know I think that would do perfectly but I have to ask what that was originally for.” 

“You. You seem to have many things on your mind. I find a journal can help to get your thoughts down in the written word.” Jen nodded, knowing full well that he did enjoy a bit of journaling. 

“Well now it’s gonna help us find the Dagon. When do we leave for the coast?” George nodded to her. 

“I can have a party ready by day after tomorrow if we’re lucky.” Jen nodded it would have to do. Things happened much slower in this time than they did back home, it was going to drive her crazy eventually.


	4. Coastal Crash Site

It took them nearly two weeks to get the consent they needed from the king to go out and gather the ingredients Jen needed from the coastline. It was the roots of bureaucracy and Jen hated every minute of it and was delighted to discover that this King Arthur was in fact not the King Arthur of legend as she could find no mention of his father, Uther according to the history books she knew, in any of the library texts. Maybe this was one of his ancestors. The thought did make her pause as they finally rode out of the castle. 

It was nice to get out of the stuffy old stone rooms. Though if she remembered the layout of the ruin in Nevada correctly she had already been there once, several centuries into the future. How the top half of the castle had ended up in the Nevada desert seventeen hundred years into the future well that still remained a mystery. But the air here was clearer than any she’d ever tasted. The sky was clear and she spotted more birds than she’d ever seen in one trip across the whole US. It took them two more days to reach the coast from the castle. It too was beautiful, a cliffside like Jen had never seen. It occurred to her that she spent a lot of her time in much more high tech surroundings and maybe this could be good for her, learning to survive in a different situation. If she ever got home maybe she could put this to good use. If being the key word, a month and a half later and she wasn’t sure. 

She stood on the edge of the cliff smiling out at the deep blue ocean. It was vast and clear she could see seals not too far away on the rocky shore. 

“It’ll take us several hours to climb down. Much less get the things you need.” George stated surveying the area. Jen laughed. 

“I think you forget who you’re working with.” She said spinning the dial on the Ultimatrix over to Ripjaws and slapping down the dial as she jumped off the cliff. She heard several cries of fear and shock as George laughed spotting a finned figure as she hit the water. He shook his head as a shadowy form cut through the water. “Alright men let’s get down to the beach, Jeoff stay with the horses. Will, you’ll be lookout.” They scrambled to obey shooting looks over the cliff where the changeling had vanished. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Cutting through crystalline water was easy for Ripjaws, scaring away the few fish in her way was even easier. All she had to do was flex the claws on her hands and open her mouth full of jagged teeth. She found a few sea urchins before she found one with a small collection of eggs nearby. She carefully collected them and made for the surface powerful tail. She deposited the eggs on a rock to dry out careful to keep them away from the tide line. She dove back into the surf there were a few things she needed. What she wasn’t expecting was what she found at the bottom of the cliffs. She frowned as something glittered in front of her. At first she thought it was a crashed ship but no there was too much metal here to be a ship from this era.

Swimming closer she blinked as she recognized as spaceship. She swam around it. It wasn’t anything too special when compared to what Jen had seen but the cockpit was open as though torn. She could only assume the pilot had escaped as there were no remains here. Swimming into the ship didn’t yield much but she did find something quite familiar, an old shield generator. She rolled her eyes and pulled it free from the system around it. She turned it over in her hands. She could make this work. Loop the battery and it could last indefinitely once she got it dried out, she shook her head wishing she could have realized sooner what was going to happen to her. If she’d known she was going to end up in the past with no way home she’d have at least said goodbye. She swam back to the surface and placed the device next to the eggs and dove down again.

When she finally surfaced for good, twenty minutes later the knights had made their way down the cliffs and were setting up camp well away from the tidal lines. The Ultimatrix timed out and water splashed Jen’s feet as she made her way out of the surf. She picked up her ingredients carefully storing the eggs in a flask and collecting clear water from the waves before bringing over the oysters she’d gathered. George raised an eyebrow at her.

“You need all of those?” She shook her head. 

“No. I need seven black pearls. They aren’t exactly common.” He nodded slightly as she began to split open the shells. It took several hours to find the ones she needed. The knights were glad they didn’t have to hunt that night as no one wanted the oysters to go to waste. Jen handed over the other pearls to George shrugging, she didn’t need them. She slipped the black ones into the pouch at her side. It wasn’t large but held everything she’d had with her when she’d arrived. The mirror Charmcaster had given her, her cellphone dead now for a while, and her wallet. She still wore her necklaces, both on display due to the nature of the dressed and corsets she now had to wear. Strangely no one had asked about the ring. As one of the knights climbed the cliff again to relieve the lookout Jen looked up at the darkening sky. There were more stars visible here than she’d ever seen from Earth one could even see the swirl of the milky way in the sky on clear nights like tonight. George sat down next to her. 

“You know all of their names don’t you?” He asked and she glanced at him. He too was looking up. She shook her head. 

“Not all of them, a lot but not all.” She pointed up and he followed her finger. 

“That red one’s Mars, easiest to spot in general.” They sat like that for a long time talking about the stars. George smiled as Jen nodded off. He carefully picked her up and laid her down on her bed roll. One of the other knights smiled at him. 

“I haven’t seen you this happy since the Dagon’s first attack.” The knight stated. George pulled off his cloak and pulled it around Jen like a blanket. “She’s about the same age your girl was isn’t she?” George nodded. 

“Fate gave me a second chance at fatherhood.” George said smiling. The knight poked the fire with a stick. 

“A strange chance my friend.” George laughed. 

“Life is strange.” The other knight laughed.


	5. Tracking

It took two more weeks to track down the exact ingredients they needed but two months into Jen’s exile in the past found her and Sir George standing alone in an old ruined castle several miles away from the court. They’d both agreed that enchanting the book was a delicate process and they needed to not be interrupted. So they set up in the old courtyard of this abandoned castle. Jen had prepped most of what they needed before they left the castle. She took a deep breath. 

“Ok so I need to link the book to the blood. Hang on.” She spun the Ultimatrix and turned into Stardust. She pulled the spell book out of thin air and flipped to the proper page. “Ok.” She handed the book to George. “Hold that open while I do this.” He nodded and held open the book. Mixing the ingredients didn’t take too long but the actual process of the spell took a bit longer. But eventually Jen chanted out of the book, poring the mix of ingredients onto the green journal. George didn’t understand the words that slipped from between greenish black lips, but the spectacle was something to see. The powder she had mixed together mixed with the bloody handkerchief and seawater sank into the pages of the book completely kerchief and all, turning them black as ink for a moment. Then they glowed green so brightly it was like a beacon. He had to close his eyes to block out the light. The book snapped shut and the light died. A smaller flash of green spiraled around Jen as she picked up the book. He blinked. 

“Did it work?” She held out the book to him. 

“Try it.” He frowned at her. 

“The handkerchief the blood was on is yours. It’s connected to you. You have to be the one to use it.” He raised his eyebrow. 

“You cannot use it?” Jen sighed. 

“It’s kind of a long story but if I could use it there would have been problems later.” He frowned again but nodded slightly. She was always speaking like this as if terms of time were slightly confusing. He made to open the book and frowned, a leather clasp that hadn’t been there before now closed it, sealed tightly. “Just put your finger there.” He did so and the lock flashed and the book fell open. For a moment he wasn’t sure it had worked but the book lit up and a map spread across it like drops of water on the page. The normal lines of the map were a shimmering black like that of the pearls she’d used in the mixture. One spot on the map though was blood red. Jen cried out in triumph as George smiled. 

“We can find the creature! We can end this!” When they returned with this news the king ordered a feast to celebrate. The knights would leave to hunt the creature two days hence. The party lasted well into the night, minstrels played their lutes and George insisted that Jen join him in a dance. She laughed, truly laughed for the first time since they’d met. It was a beautiful night. 

~*~*~*~*~*~

The following months however were grueling to say the least. Tracking the Dagon even with the book was complicated because it moved seemingly without warning or pattern. They would come within a hundred miles of the place and it would vanish but they persisted. Every now and again they would run across a nest of Lucubra and George got to use Ascalon. Jen was impressed at the power of the sword which were more akin to magic than the technology she usually saw from Azmuth’s creations. But she was losing heart a bit. Jen was keeping track of the days in a smaller notebook George had purchased for her on their last day in the city. He’d also gifted her with a dagger, the cross guard adorned with a single gleaming emerald the handle wrapped in soft leather. She wore it on a sheath on her calf, hidden beneath her skirts. She’d taken the liberty to reinforce the dagger the first chance she got. She’d turned into Diamondhead and carefully coated the blade with a thin layer of Taydenite. It was smooth and sharp, a glittering jeweled blade that she could wield with deadly precision. 

She sighed down at her notebook as she flicked the piece of charcoal across the page adding another tally mark. She couldn’t help but count them. Five months and twenty nine days. She wondered if her family had given up on finding her by now. She’d never been off on her own like this for this long before. At most it had been a few days at a time. She sighed flicking closed the book. 

“Any sign?” She asked George who was pouring over the book. 

“Shouldn’t you be at your sword practice?” He asked with little heat behind his words as she sat on the desk beside him. He’d given up teaching her manners nearly three months ago. She was just too much of a free spirit for any of it to stick, and far to stubborn. 

“I knocked Sir Reginald out again.” George snorted. Several of the knights had been incensed when he’d insisted on training her in the way of the sword. A woman’s place was at the home after all. But she was a quick study and had already beaten most of them in combat after challenging them when they called her unfit. She hadn’t even had to transform. He glanced at her and nodded. 

“Good.” She rolled her eyes at him as he spotted something out of the corner of his eye. She had her sword at her side. She’d earned it only two months ago, graduating from the dull edged training swords to a real one quite quickly. The situation made it necessary. He’d have liked her to spend a year or more with the practice blade before she went on to an edged blade but she was proving quite skilled and they were catching up to the Dagon. They’d been set upon a few times by Lucubra a sign that their efforts weren’t going unnoticed. He glanced back down at the book and smiled. 

“We need to move now!” He snatched up the book and she got a look at where the elusive red marker now sat, directly over where the court was currently residing. Jen raced out of the tent after George.


	6. Final Battle

When they arrived the fight was already in full swing. Jen leapt from her horse transforming into Jetray as she went, speeding into the air blasting Lucubra left right and center. They hissed and sizzled collapsing under her attacks as George shouted a challenge to the Dagon. The great black beast with cruel burning red eyes howled in frustration reaching to bat Jen out of the sky. The other knights weren’t as effective against the Lucubra as they couldn’t stay out of their reach as easily as she did. She dodged, but only just a whirlwind from Ascalon cleaving between them. 

“Your fight is with me creature!” George snarled as Jen landed switching transformations to Diamondhead and firing off volley after volley of Taydenite shards. The creatures howled as they fell. The fight between George and the Dagon was hard to follow. Jen was more concerned about making it out of the fight alive and saving as many of the knights as she could. At some point she ended up on the fringes of the battle and turned to find the true struggle happening here. George was tearing Ascalon through the Dagon’s chest. The beast howled so loud all activity around it stopped. Jen didn’t think. Didn’t notice that her skirt was torn and tattered, didn’t realize that at some point she’d lost the veil that covered her now nearly chin length hair. She rushed to help as George pulled Ascalon free from the creature. It screamed, for the length of the sword was imbedded in its heart which pulled free from the body of the creature which began to writhe and smoke. Jen spun the dial on the Ultimatrix and slapped it down leaping between George and the smoke as it made to strike out at him.

Stardust’s mana saved them both. Jen knew what she had to do, in a way she’d always known. The seal on the Lucubra had been magical, something the Forever Knights didn’t do. She chanted loudly as George pulled back the heart of the creature draining of color the farther he got from it. Stone formed from the smokey form of the Dagon as it kept screaming. A much smaller green stone formed in Jen’s hand as the Seal thumped to the ground. With a few words and a gesture the Seal vanished entirely. She sunk to the ground exhausted. The green rock in her hand, a mirror image of the seal, slipped from her fingers. She felt exhausted but it was more than that. Something was wrong. George pulled her to her feet. Ascalon still at his side, the heart of the Dagon still impaled on it, by his side.

“That needs to be hidden.” She said pointing. He nodded. 

“But where?” Jen glanced around and spotted the black fortress. They had often seen it in the distance when they got close to the Dagon. It shimmered in the air like an illusion. Jen pointed a greenish black finger at the impaled heart and chanted pointing at the fortress. The sword vanished in a swirl of green light. The fortress dissolved from sight. 

“If you need it you have the book.” She stumbled slightly and George caught her as she transformed back to normal. Pink light began to swirl around her. She looked down, hope blossoming on her face. “It was keeping me here!” She grinned then her face turned serious, checking that her sword was still in place. “When this happens again, find me!” Before George could ask what she meant the pink lights engulfed her and she was gone. 

Winning that battle felt a bit like a double edged sword. The creature was gone. But so was the new daughter he’d found in the strange girl Jennifer Tennyson. He picked up the stone she’d dropped. It was a mirror copy of the seal she’d used on the Dagon. He found her horse after the fight grazing on some grass, her saddle bags still in place. All she’d had with her when she vanished was her belt holding the items she’d carried when she first appeared and her sword, a hooded cloak around her shoulders to ward off the chill of winter that was setting in. Her small book was sticking out of one of the bags. He pulled it out. There were six months worth of tally marks here, counting the time she’d spent with them. But as he flicked through the pages he frowned. 

‘George, if you’re reading this then I’m gone. Hopefully we won and I’ve gone home. But either way there are a few things you need to do. I need to come clean. I once told you Azmuth didn’t send me, that is true. I fought a Lucubra seventeen hundred years into the future. It took control of my cousin who is gifted with magical abilities. She tossed me back in time. But I had heard of you before I ever saw the Lucubra.’ He stared at the page. She had written about his journal and the book they’d used to track the Dagon.

‘In my bag you will find a shield generator, a small sliver device that I know you’ve seen me playing with. It’s programed so that only I’ll be able to open it in the future. All you have to do is put it in the castle library with your journal and the book to track the Dagon inside it. Then press the button on top and step back. It will stay there until I find it. But if I’m right then the Dagon is coming back in my time. I will need your help. Find me in the future.’ He turned as one of the surviving knights approached him. 

“What shall we do Sir George? The king is dead, slain by one of the knights under the control of the Lucubra.” George’s hand tightened on the stone in his hand. 

“We must ensure this never happens again. We the survivors of this battle and our children for generations will guard the secrets of this battle and defend this world from those that would harm it.” The knight bowed to him.


	7. Back to the Future

Kevin was trying to keep it together. It had been about two hours since Gwen had, at least by all appearances, disintegrated her cousin. Gwen wasn’t handling it well. She was shaking in the passenger seat trying to track Squire Winston. There were tears still wet on her face as she tried to track down his signature. The knights were sort of split on their ideas about Kevin and Gwen at this point. On the one hand she had taken out their biggest enemy. On the other they blamed the two of them for losing Winston. Gwen shook and the papers floating around her dropped. 

“You ok?” Kevin asked, reaching out and taking her hand as her eyes went back to bloodshot green. 

“I accidently connected to the Lucubra.” Kevin tensed. 

“Are you ok?” He was reasonably worried for his safety. Last time she and the Lucubra connected she’d killed Jen. She nodded. 

“It was like a snake in my head but I think I saw it escape the seal. It’s not a vault it’s a sealed power, like the kind that seals demons in other dimensions. But I got a lock on Winston too.” Kevin nodded turning down the street she indicated. They wound up at an old warehouse. 

The fight didn’t go well, Kevin was surrounded by the Lucubra’s zombies and Gwen was green eyed again. He had no idea how they were getting out of this alive. Then a bright pink light bloomed behind Gwen. It flashed bright and a figure leapt from it. The sound of steal on rock met Kevin’s ears but all he could see was a swirl of green fabric between the arms of the people attacking him. Then there was a sound like that of a knife sliding into an overripe watermelon and the people around him dropped as one to the ground. He blinked at the sight before him. 

It was as if the girl from the tapestry Greggory had shown them over a year ago had sprung to life from the weave of the fabric. Her hair was shorter though as a breeze through the holes in the building pulled her hood down. She turned and his eyes went wide. 

“Jen?” His voice was shaking. He’d spotted the green slime that had been the Lucubra at her feet. It was turning grey pooling around her. She was dressed in a torn gown of green with black trim She was holding a sword that looked like it was coated in Taydenite. Kevin blinked at her but his attention was pulled aside as Gwen groaned. He hesitated torn between the two Tennysons, his injured girlfriend and the best friend he’d just spent the last two hours mourning. But one of them had a sharp object and the other looked like she was waking from a nightmare. He rushed to Gwen’s side as Sir Cyrus rushed past them to check on his men. Once assured that they were merely unconscious he nodded to his guards who leveled their laser lances at Gwen and Kevin. 

“Kill them.” But before either knight could fire Jen moved again. Her sword cleaved through the alien weapons like a hot knife through butter. She leveled the blade at Cyrus. 

“Pick up your men and get the hell out of my town Sir Cyrus.” Her tone made it clear she was done playing. He raised his hands in surrender as his men scrambled to obey her. Soon they were gone leaving the prone police officer behind as Gwen managed to pull herself to her feet. She looked around and blinked as Jen absently pulled a handkerchief out of a leather pouch on her belt and cleaned her sword with it. She sheathed the weapon which was lucky because in the next second her arms were full of her cousin who sobbed into her forest green cloak. 

“I thought I killed you!” Gwen sobbed holding on to her cousin as if she would never let her go again. Jen shook her head her arms circling the redhead and holding on just as tight.

“You didn’t.” Standing back, away from the family reunion Kevin could see a difference in Jen that didn’t make sense. Her skin was tanned as if she’d spent a lot of time out under the sun with little to no protection. Her hair was longer than he’d seen it since they’d met again a little over a year ago. It was no longer the shaved sides pixie cut she preferred, instead it reached nearly to her chin all the way around. She was also almost two inches taller. He frowned. 

“How long was I gone?” She asked. She thought she knew the answer she would get. 

“Two hours.” Kevin supplied and Jen blinked shocked to her very core. 

“Two hours?” She asked him and he nodded. “You’re sure.” He nodded. 

“Two hours for us.” Gwen pulled back at his phrasing and finally took a good look at her cousin. “How long were you gone?” He asked her almost carefully. 

“Six months.” Her answer had fresh tears spilling from Gwen’s eyes. She looked a little hollow as she said it. She looked over at Kevin and he saw exhaustion like he’d never seen before in her eyes. “Can we go home now?” He nodded guiding both stunned girls out of the warehouse, away from the grey sludge that had been the Lucubra. He guided them both into his car and set off for Jen’s house without another word, both cousins clinging to each other in the back seat. Jen’s sword leaned against the door out of the way but well within reach.


	8. Back Home

Jen had pictured how her reunion with her family would go over the past six months she’d spent in medieval England. She’d pictured tears, mostly on her part if she was honest. But learning that, for the people she’d left behind almost no time had passed at all, it was jarring and for once in her life she had no idea how to handle it. She slipped her house key out of her wallet and slid it into the lock with a click. Kevin and Gwen were sticking around, she hadn’t asked them to, but both seemed to know that she needed them. She opened the door and felt the tears prick her eyes as she spotted her parents on the couch watching tv. She dropped her sword with a clatter and they looked up at the door. Her mother frowned. 

“Jen? What’s wrong sweetie?” She ran into their arms and held on as the wall she’d erected around herself to protect her from the possibility that she would never make it home crumbled. Her father flicked off the tv as Jen sobbed holding onto them both. Kevin frowned as Gwen hovered and Jen’s parents questioned what had happened. 

“I’m gonna make some tea.” He slipped into the kitchen and put on the kettle. Gwen stepped up next to him and wrapped her arms around him and sniffled. 

“How are you doing?” She shook her head at his question. 

“I don’t know. I… I’m so happy she’s ok but she’s not the same.” Kevin nodded. 

“Six months can change someone.” They shared a look. Jen had killed the Lucubra without a second thought. Maybe she knew something they didn’t but Kevin had never seen her do something like that. Her threatening Sir Cyrus at sword point, that freaked them out a bit more but there was no telling if she’d have gone through with it or not. Carl entered the room at that point and frowned at both of them. 

“Someone care to tell me what happened?” Gwen frowned.

“Where’s Jen?” He crossed his arms. 

“Sandra’s making her take a shower and change into something more comfortable. What happened?” Kevin shook his head. 

“We’re not entirely sure. There was an accident she disappeared for two hours, came back like that. She says she’s been gone six months.” 

“I can confirm that.” A voice sounded from near the cabinet where the cups were. They all whirled and found Professor Paradox pulling several mugs down from their usual place. They blinked at him. Carl found his voice first. 

“And you are?” 

“You may call me Paradox, I’m an associate of your daughters.” He smiled at Kevin. “It’s good to see you Kevin.” Kevin flipped him off. Gwen stepped between them. 

“Was she really gone for six months? Where was she?” Paradox frowned.

“She was. But I can’t tell you anything more.” Kevin frowned. 

“Why are you even here?” Paradox sighed. 

“I need to check on something. Gwen?” The redhead nodded. “When you and Jen were children you faced Eon. What happened to the Hands of Armageddon?” Gwen shook her head. 

“Why is that important right now?” Paradox handed the still very confused Carl a mug and passed the others to Kevin. 

“It is vital to what happens next. What happened to the Hands of Armageddon?” Gwen let out a frustrated sigh. 

“Jen broke it. She used Eon’s power to slam the door shut then advanced the aging process. It crumbled to dust. Why is that important?” Paradox nodded. 

“Good. Then you won’t be needing me again for some time.” Kevin caught his arm. 

“You could have gotten her at any point! Why didn’t you!” Paradox shook his head. 

“I wish it were that simple Kevin.” Kevin practically snarled. 

“I am so sick of your riddles.” Paradox nodded. 

“You never did like me much, or you won’t.” But before Kevin could do anything else they blinked and Paradox was gone. Kevin turned to the steaming teapot and began pouring water into the mugs, grumbling under his breath.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Jen had missed hot running water so much over the past six months, so much so she stayed in the shower until it began to grow cold. She pulled on the clothes her mother had laid out for her, her usual outfit, jeans, a black shirt and her spare green jacket. It felt like donning an old skin she hadn’t had in so long. Glancing at the pile of clothes she’d taken off before her shower she took her dagger from the top of the pile and rolled up her pant leg. She strapped the weapon back to her calf, glad she preferred bootcut jeans to the tighter alternative. She glanced down at the Ultimatrix which was whirring. 

‘Connection to Primus reestablished. Reboot complete.’ She smiled slightly. At least she wouldn’t end up in a gown every time she transformed again. She stepped over to the mirror and frowned at her reflection. That was something else she hadn’t seen much of. Mirrors back in eleventh century England weren’t great. They were silver backed and often tarnished, and too heavy to take with them on their hunt for the Dagon. Her hair was longer than it had been in years. She searched through the cabinet until she found her father’s electric razor. She pulled it out of its case and clicked on one of the size guards and clicked on the razor. She ran it through her hair letting a large amount if it fall into the sink. There was a tap on the door. 

“Are you alright in there Jen?” Jen sighed as she opened the door.

“I can’t reach the back.” She said handing her mother the razor. Her mother blinked and smiled slightly. 

“Sit down sweetie.” Jen sat down on the closed toilet. Her mother carefully began to cut her hair. They remained silent for a few moments as hair fell to the floor. Sandra frowned slightly at her daughter. “Are you alright?” Jen shrugged slightly. 

“I missed you.” Jen said as Sandra finished cleaning up her hair and nodded slightly. 

“I love you sweetie.” Jen nodded as Sandra tapped her on the shoulder to let her know she could stand up. Jen turned and hugged her mother. Sandra hugged her back and held on until Jen let go. It took quite some time for her to let go.

“I’m going to make some dinner. Do you want to lay down?” Jen shook her head as she pulled away. 

“Not really. I’m gonna go sit in the living room.” Sandra nodded as Jen collected the strange clothes she’d arrived in.


	9. Readjusting

In a way it was fortunate that this had all happened during the summer. Though Gwen was taking extra classes so she could walk the stage early Jen was, aside from her usual duties as a hero, free as a bird. Or should have been. Instead she was sitting in her therapist’s office staring at the ceiling. 

“Have you ever thought about…” She paused.

“Have I thought about what Jen?” Jen shook her head at Camille.

“Life, I guess? I don’t know anymore.” She sighed. She’d been here for several hours, explaining some of what had happened to her a few days before. Tossed back in time to medieval England, to help in the defeat of an extradimensional demon. She didn’t go into details about the fights with the thing, her own voice still niggling in the back of her head to not trust anyone. But spending six months away only to find out it had been two hours, that had come up. “While I was there… I started realizing all the things I take for granted. The things I missed most when they weren’t there anymore.” She ran her hands through her hair which was once again short, the way she liked it. She sighed. 

“I just don’t know anymore, I’ve been focusing so much on being a hero since I lost Ethan that I sort of forgot to just be me until everything normal got taken away again.” Camille’s antenna twitched, her version of a raised eyebrow. “I know being a hero is what I’m supposed to do but it would be nice if just for a little while life went back to my kind of normal.” Camille nodded at her. 

“I understand that, and I applaud you recognizing your problem. Maybe you should take up a hobby? Something that has absolutely nothing to do with your job. A lot of Plumbers find a hobby is good for their moral.” Jen nodded slightly. 

“I could get back into playing my guitar. I haven’t since last time I saw Charmcaster.” Camille nodded smiling slightly as Jen sat up and glanced at the clock. They had been here for nearly three hours. She stretched and stood. “I’m supposed to go out on patrol with Gwen and Kevin in twenty minutes. I should go.” Camille nodded and stood walking Jen to the door.

Fighting Animo was refreshing. Really it was, even though the crazy doctor got away from them it was something she’d done so many times it could almost be called routine. Gwen seemed a bit more tired than usual so while Kevin headed off for a late dinner with his mom Jen dropped her cousin off at home.   
“I’ll check the warehouses tomorrow, see if I can’t find where Animo’s hiding.” Gwen nodded and waved goodbye. Jen drove home and made herself a sandwich. She was just finishing it when the doorbell rang. She sighed and set her plate in the sink. Running a hand over the Ultimatrix, more on instinct than anything else, she headed to the door. She blinked at the figure she spotted through the peep hole. She opened the door.

“Charmcaster? What are you doing at my house?” The sorcerers grinned. 

“I happened to be in the neighborhood picking up a few things I left behind and I thought I’d pop by.” Jen leaned on the door for a moment thinking. Then she grabbed Charmcaster’s hand and pulled her inside. 

“You and me, in my room right now. We can talk about whatever you’re here for in the morning. My mom’s on the night shift at the hospital and my dad’s out of town. Yes or no.” Charmcaster looked her over for a moment. 

“We will be talking about what happened to you, you seem different. But who am I to turn down such a proposition?” She laughed as Jen took her hand and practically dragged her upstairs. 

The next morning found them lounging in Jen’s bed. Charmcaster grinned at the brunette. Jen sighed slightly tossing a pillow her way. 

“What happened to you anyway?” Charmcaster asked brushing a hand through Jen’s freshly cut hair. Jen shook her head. 

“A lot. I… Well I got stuck in the past for six months.” Charmcaster sat up a frown rapidly replacing her smile. 

“Six months?” Jen nodded. 

“It made me think about a lot of things.” Chamcaster snapped her fingers, suddenly both girls were dressed.

“Maybe I should go first.” Jen raised an eyebrow but nodded. Charmcaster took a deep breath. “I don’t think we should keep whatever this is going.” Jen laughed. 

“Would you believe I came to the same conclusion?” Charmcaster’s smile returned. 

“It would be a relief if you did. We just don’t have real time for each other. I’m ruling Ledgerdomain and you’re a big shot hero. It has been fun don’t get me wrong. But I don’t see us working long term.” Jen nodded.

“You’re not wrong.” Jen said. Charmcaster leaned forward and pecked her on the lips. 

“You’ll find someone, someone who has all the time in the world for you.” Jen smiled. 

“And you’ll find someone who can take the time to spoil their queen rotten.” Charmcaster laughed. 

“You’re too sweet.” She stood as there was a knock on Jen’s door. The brunette straightened her hair and scrambled to her feet. She smiled at the person at the door. 

“Mom!” A voice, clearly Jen’s mother, spoke from the doorway.

“Breakfast is ready, and there’s a place set for your friend.” Jen went the color of a tomato. 

“Ok.” Jen turned to Charmcaster who was holding back laughter. “Would you like to stay for breakfast, you do not have to say yes.”

“Smells like French toast, I’d love to stay for breakfast before I head back to Ledgerdomain. After all we were both very active last night.” Charmcaster winked at her as she made her way past her. 

Breakfast was actually quite pleasant, Sandra was holding back laughter the whole time but Charmcaster was perfectly polite. Jen kept her mouth full of toast nearly the entire time, to avoid answering questions. Charmcaster hugged her as she left, vanishing through a portal she opened in the front yard. Sandra smiled slightly at her daughter. 

“So Charmcaster?” Jen rolled her eyes.

“It’s not like that mom. We just both needed someone to be close to.” Sandra nodded. 

“I understand that. When I was younger…” 

“I’m good without that story for now mom. I have to head out to track Animo. Love you!” She slipped on her shoes and grabbed her car keys. She took off and smiled slightly as she drove down the familiar streets of her town. She had needed that, she called Kevin.

“You heading to the warehouse district? I’ll start on the north side if you start on the south.” 

“Sounds good to me. You sound chipper. Take a trip to Ledgerdomain last night or something.” Jen laughed.

“Didn’t have to, she came to visit me.” There was silence over the line for a moment then Kevin laughed loudly. 

“Nice. I’ll see you in the middle of the warehouses.” Jen nodded. 

“See you there Kev.”


	10. Stress

Gwen wasn’t sleeping well. Part of it was stress, and maybe that was causing the other problem. She tossed and turned as images flashed through her mind. 

A large black thing in the shadows of her room. Vilgax wrapping his hand in Jen’s long braid when they had first fought him, bodily dragging her into his ship. The scream echoing around the clearing as Malware ripped Feedback and Jen apart. Kevin, mutated by the Ultimatrix, an attack aimed straight at her. The horrible draining feeling of Micheal Morningstar’s hands on her. Artemis vanishing into the pink portal she had no idea how she’d conjured. She was almost relieved when her alarm blared at her making her shoot up in bed. She breathed out shakily and clicked off the alarm. 

A few hours later found her at the kitchen table, homework on one side of her, the invitations her mother insisted she write on the other. She frowned. There had to be a better way to do this. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Jen spent the better part of the day tracking Animo and his frogs. She really did try not to drag Gwen into it, knowing the other girl had quite a bit on her plate. She even dragged Pierce into it before resorting to pulling Gwen into it. In the end they beat Animo hands down and Jen went XCLR8 to get Gwen to her best friends piano thing. Emily might not be Jen’s biggest fan but hey at least they could both agree that Gwen deserved better. Auntie Natalie invited Emily, Jen and Kevin over for dinner. 

It was actually pretty enjoyable, Gwen roped Jen into helping her finish up the invitations and Kevin was starting to research what he’d need to do to get a GED. The cousin’s were laughing at each other as they finished up addressing the last of the envelopes. Gwen cleared her throat. 

“So I have news.” Jen nodded. 

“Oh? I hope it’s good news.” Gwen laughed. 

“It is actually. I’m graduating early, they think I could walk by the start of next school year.” Jen’s pen stopped. 

“That’s fantastic.” She said smiling at her cousin. Gwen smiled back at her. 

“Yeah. We’ve been saving the world for years, I’d like to see a bit more of it you know?” Jen nodded continuing to carefully scribble down an address. 

“I do. I’m happy for you Gwen. You applied for college yet or are you taking a gap year?” Gwen laughed. 

“Like my mother would let me take a gap year. Nah, I’ve already applied for several schools.” Jen smiled. 

“Cool.” The two cousins spent the next half an hour in companionable silence. Once they finished Jen went to the door. She paused and hugged her cousin. “Life’s changing isn’t it?” She asked it quietly. Gwen nodded. 

“It is but I don’t think that’s a bad thing. After all we can’t stay the same forever. People grow.” Jen nodded laughing lightly. She drove home in silence. She didn’t really feel like listening to the radio. When she got home though she found the house dark. Her father was still out of town, her mother on the night shift for the next week or so. She sighed and went to her room. Spotting the guitar she’d gotten in Ledgerdomain she headed up to the roof with it and began to strum, just watching the stars as she played.

She played a few songs before someone cleared their throat in the yard next door. Jen glanced up and spotted Mr. Bauman, their next door neighbor and proprietor of Grandpa Max’s favorite local grocery store. Of course most of his stock was less than local, he ran the only alien grocery store in all of Bellwood, not that many knew that.

“Why are you on your roof Jennifer?” He called up to her. She shrugged, looking up. The view of the stars wasn’t that great out here, too close to the city proper, light pollution blocking most of the stars from view. She stood and skidded down her roof, using the storm drain to slide down the side of the house. Mr. Bauman shook his head. 

“I swear one of these days you’re going to crack your skull doing things like that.” She grinned at him. 

“I’d never go out that easy Mr. Bauman, we Tennyson’s have hard heads.” He nodded smiling slightly. 

“That is quite true. Listen could you let your grandfather know we got his shipment in? Everything he asked for, and a few extras thrown in for my best customer.” Jen grinned slightly. 

“I’ll let him know tomorrow Mr. Bauman.” The older man nodded smiling slightly. 

“You should get some sleep Jennifer.” She nodded. 

“I’ll get right on that Mr. Bauman.” She waved at him as she headed back inside but she didn’t go to bed. Instead she sat in the living room, setting her guitar aside and decided to watch tv. She wasn’t sure when she fell asleep but she woke up the next morning covered in a blanket she knew hadn’t been there before. She smiled slightly as she quietly slipped down the hall to check on her mother, sound asleep in her father’s arms, he must have arrived back that morning. She smiled and slipped the door closed. She picked up her keys and headed out to the Plumber base. 

It was finished now, though it had taken some time to do. It was also quite well staffed. Jen parked out front of the façade they used to hide the whole operation. She grinned at the sign, it wasn’t subtle. ‘Max’s Plumbing’ with a cartoon representation of her grandfather next to the sign. The bell chimed above the door as she stepped inside. Behind the counter sat a bored looking teen. Or at least that’s what it looked like. It was actually a robot. The Plumbers were very strict about their hiring policy and couldn’t afford to endanger a civilian for the sake of keeping Plumber operations on Earth a secret until the planet went to an open system. Jen slipped into the bathroom and pulled the pull chord and the hidden elevator descended into the main base. It was huge and Jen smiled lightly as several of the Plumber waved at her. 

She made her way down into the base and off to the personal quarters. She keyed in the code to open her Grandfather’s door. 

“Grandpa Max?” 

“In here!” He called from his kitchen. Jen grinned and made her way into the kitchen. 

“Mr. Bauman says he has your supplies ready to pick up. What did you order anyway?” Max shrugged slightly as he stirred his coffee. 

“Just some supplies for the base. Specific food orders for some of the newer Plumbers who are missing home. Things like that. Oh and I ordered you a few things too. And Kevin requested a few car parts, he’s trying to make the car submersible.” Jen laughed. 

“I wish him luck with that. I still say he should make it more blast resistant first.” Max laughed. 

“I could use a hand getting all the supplies, you up for it.” Jen nodded and the two of them set out. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Not too far from Bellwood a man stood in front of a broken seal. It had been so many years since he’d seen it. He’d never gone looking for it after she banished the creature. He had every faith that should he need to seek it out the stone she’d left him would guide him to it. He was right and now he stood before it and shook his head. With the seal broken it was only a matter of time until the creature escaped to once again wreak havoc on the world, a world that for the most part had forgotten about him. He shook his head again as he turned away from the seal. There were a few helmets here, shoddy work in comparison to what he had seen before. He had been too long pulled away from his legacy. He had allowed it to grow on its own and it had grown cancerous and evil. Shaking his head again he sighed. 

He would need Ascalon back to defeat the beast when it returned. Long ago a battle had ravaged that palace leaving the topmost floors banished somewhere else. But perhaps. He pulled a picture out of his pocket. It was a clipping from one of the news articles he’d read through at the retirement home back in England. She smiled up at him, not a day older than she had been when she first appeared to him on that battlefield. A child of the twenty first century, big green eyes laughing at the camera. But he had no way of contacting her directly. The news did not broadcast her address or school of choice She hadn’t exactly left him a phone number. Not that he would have known what that was at the time. 

He needed to get her attention, but not just hers. If he was to reform his knight he would need their attention as well. And to do anything effectively he would need a base of operations. He nodded to himself and vanished into thin air. He smiled to himself as he stepped towards the base in front of him. He had learned quite a few tricks in the past seventeen hundred years.


	11. Stolen

“I’m sorry back up, Area 51 is missing?” Jen asked as Kevin drove the Rustbucket Three to the site of the apparently vanished base. Grandpa Max nodded. 

“That is the report.” Gwen looked up from her tablet where she was finishing up some homework. 

“How does an entire army base go missing?” What about the people working inside. Max frowned. 

“That’s the odd thing. They’re all fine. They showed back up not ten minutes after the base vanished in a flash of light. No one was hurt and no one knows what happened. The only clue we have is the two unconscious guards.” Jen nodded at her grandfather. 

“They may have seen it coming.” Jen said. “Who’s already there?” She asked and Max smiled. 

“Pierce called me. He’s there with a small crew of Plumbers. Colonel Rozum is there too. Cooper’s handling the tech side, he’s there too Blukic and Driba don’t leave the lab too often which is probably a good thing.” Jen grinned. She’d properly met the two Galvan’s now and they… Well they weren’t up to Azmuth’s level by any means. But they were nice if eccentric and shared her love of smoothies. She had already gotten on their good side with the gift of several smoothies and the novelty straws currently sold at the smoothie place. 

They arrived not too long after and discovered that yes the base was just gone. Jen frowned as she looked over the crater that had been the base. Max was greeting the Colonel and Pierce called Jen over but he didn’t look exactly happy.

“You need to see this.” She frowned as Pierce pulled her over to the hole. Cooper was at the bottom of the crater standing atop a massive metal structure. Jen frowned. 

“The hell is that?” She slid down the side of the crater and tapped Cooper on his shoulder. “What do we have?” She asked he frowned. 

“Jen it’s a prison. And it’s full from the records I’ve been able to decipher anyway. Over seven hundred prisoners, all alien.” Jen’s eyes narrowed. She twirled the dial on the Ultimatrix and transformed into Big Chill. She heard Colonel Rozum shout from the top of the crater. 

“Stay out of there!” But she didn’t listen, going intangible and diving into the prison. It was worse than she could have imagined. The conditions were beyond terrible, cruel and unusual would be more accurate. There was a tiny space with a small computer console. Jen glided over to it and quickly hacked the system, she’d have to thank Kevin for the lessons in hacking later. She swooped through the prison taking stock of the conditions, they were far from acceptable. Rage bubbled under her skin as she phased back through the roof of the prison. Colonel Rozum was there with Cooper and Grandpa Max, Pierce was still topside talking to the people who’d been in the base when it vanished. 

“You’re running an illegal alien prison!” Jen had to be physically restrained from smacking Rozum which was only achieved because Grandpa Max stepped in her way. He spluttered and claimed that the prison was perfectly legal under the American government as the aliens weren’t people. Jen snarled at him. 

“You know perfectly well that the holding of any sentient being without trial either by a jury of their peers as dictated by local government or by the Plumber officer in the nearest jurisdiction is against Galactic law.” Rozum stopped sputtering and blinked. Even Max looked impressed that she could site galactic law without even pausing but Jen was far to angry to care. “You have seven hundred and seventy four living thinking beings in conditions that are in no way livable.” She was livid, steam misting from her mouth tiny drops of ice crystalizing in the air. 

“That’s not right.” Rozum said and Jen’s eyes narrowed. 

“You’re going to deny what I just saw with my own eyes?” She spat at him. Rozum shook his head. 

“No your count is off. There should be seven hundred and seventy five.” He said it like he was counting stock in a grocery store. If Pierce’s Plumber ship hadn’t taken off on its own Jen might have very well attacked the Colonel on the spot. 

Chasing down the escaped alien, who decided the best way to get revenge for his wrongful imprisonment was to hunt down Colonel Rozum’s family, was less than fun. But by the end of the night they had him in Plumber custody where he belonged. The Plumbers had been given the go ahead by Rozum’s superiors to clear out the prison that had been under Area 51. Jen flew back to help Pierce and the other Plumbers clear out the prison. It was slow going. Many of the prisoners were mistrusting of the human Plumbers. Jen eventually called in a few of the other Plumbers from the Bellwood Base to help with the evacuation of the prisoners. It went much smoother after that. It still took them two days to clear out the prison in its entirety. Jen sighed and sat on the edge of the crater. Shortly she was joined by Cooper who held out a water bottle. One of the Plumbers recently arrived from Bellwood had brought supplies for the Plumbers working to free the aliens and the trapped aliens themselves. 

“So how’s life in the lab?” Jen asked after a long pull of the water. Cooper shrugged. 

“Not bad, pretty fun actually. Azmuth talked to me a while back, apparently that’s a big deal.” Jen snorted. 

“Cooper he barely makes time to talk to me. It’s a pretty big deal.” He laughed lightly. “What did he want to talk about?” 

“The DNA guns. He had an idea that they could be altered to cure more than just people.” Jen nodded. 

“A good idea. Hopefully we won’t have to use them again.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The summons was odd. No one seemed to know who had even sent it out, though all the high lords of the Forever Knights were present. They were starting to believe it was a trap of some kind, a setup by one of their number. The verbal fighting swelled to drawn swords before a voice cut through the chatter. 

“Enough! You have all forgotten your ancient duty! The duty the knights were formed for in the first place!” The man who stepped out was not impressive. Not until he bested Driscoll and his knight singlehandedly. The knights all stared as he took seat at the head of the table. 

“It has been too long since the knights served their original purpose, the purpose I created them for.” All sound stopped as the knights dropped to their knees around him. “We will restore the honor of the order. And to do that I require a meeting with Jennifer Tennyson.”


	12. Duel

Max was having a regular day. He was on monitor duty, keeping an eye on Jen, Gwen and Kevin fighting the giant bipedal elephant calling himself Trumbipulor. He was not expecting a teleport flash into the main hall of the base. Nor was he expecting what materialized. Pierce cried out in pain as he landed with an unpleasant wet noise on the floor. Max was already on his feet calling for a medic when he spotted the blood. A small device dropped from Pierce’s hand, one of Cooper’s experimental short range teleporters. Max knelt next to the kid who whimpered. There was a substantial hole in his side bleeding sluggishly and burned on the edges. Laser fire. Max carefully scooped him up and set him on the hover gurney the medics brought with them. He ran alongside it. 

“Kid what happened? It was supposed to be your night off.” Pierce grimaced.

“It was, went on a date and everything.” Max frowned. 

“She do this to you?” He shook his head.

“No. Forever Knights. Tracked me down wanted me off the planet. Max they’re more armed than I’ve ever seen them.” Pierce’s eyes fluttered and the doctor shoved Max back. 

“We’re losing him!” They raced into the med bay leaving Max behind. His hands were shaking and stained with his student’s blood. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Jen was annoyed when Argit showed up facilitating Trumbipulor’s escape. She wasn’t sure how he’d escaped lockup at the Plumber Academy, they hadn’t seen him since but his claim that someone was forcing aliens off Earth was enough to get them interested. A trip to Bauman’s Grocery revealed the whole plot and if she was honest it made Jen’s blood boil. The Forever Knights were wiping out aliens, rumor had it that they had killed a young Plumber too. No time to check on that now. They had three hours until Mr. Bauman’s second shipment of the week came in the perfect time for the knights to lay a trap so Jen decided to lay one of her own. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Driscoll was proud of himself, he was doing honorable work forcing the aliens to vacate the planet or die. This should prove a fruitful raid. So he was a bit shocked when one of the smaller hooded figures stepped forward and threw down a glove in front of him. His knights paused. 

“I would have used a gauntlet but I didn’t have one with me.” A familiar voice echoed from the hooded figure. She reached up and pulled off the cloak and he glared into the face of Jennifer Tennyson. “So what’ll it be, swords or lances, you have both. Or are you going to let your honor be questioned by a woman.” He growled as the crowd of aliens pulled back towards the warehouse and his knights looked to him. He had to accept the challenge or he would be marked a coward and thrown from the order. He nodded to one of his knights and the man lowered his laser lance and drew his sword tossing it at the girl’s feet. She kicked away the cloak and picked up the sword. They circled each other. 

Despite the initial surprise of the challenge Driscoll was certain he would win this. The girl had no experience with a sword after all, or at least that was what he’d been led to believe. But he appeared to have been lied to as she dropped into a perfect fighting stance and quickly broke his defense, knocking his sword from his grip, stepping down hard on his foot and driving the pommel of her sword into his sternum. Even with the armor he felt something crack as he was knocked on his ass. He blinked finding the sword in her hand at his throat. 

“Call off your men, call off your crusade, or I will put an end to it myself.” He blinked at her. There was no more of the childish laughter in her eyes, it had been replaced with the steel of a seasoned warrior. The air was still for a moment as they stared each other down. 

“Stand down men. She’s won.” The knights made themselves scares quickly. Jen checked over the families Mr. Bauman had been hiding. They were all fine. Kevin frowned at Jen. 

“How’d you know they’d back off after that?” Jen smiled slightly. 

“Nothing matters to a knight more than their honor. He just got beat at his own game by a girl.” Gwen laughed slightly as the aliens began to head home. Mr. Bauman offered them lunch but Jen insisted they needed to head back to base. She wasn’t sure what she’d find when she got there she just hoped that whoever Driscoll had attacked of the Plumbers would still be alive when they got there.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

George was disappointed to say the least. Though in hindsight he supposed he was lucky only one of the factions his Knights had split into had gone off the rails. Driscoll knelt before him eyes downcast. 

“Your loss to her is not what dishonors you Driscoll. It is your endangerment of innocents.” George nodded to his men. They seized Driscoll and quickly disarmed him binding his hands behind his back. “Drop him and his men off for Tennyson to find.” His men began to drag Driscoll off. “Wait.” They paused. George picked up piece of paper and wrote down something on the front then flipped it and scribbled something else on the back. He took a pin out of his bag and pinned the note to Driscoll’s doublet. 

“At least you can be good for one thing.” He nodded at his men and they dragged off the stunned looking knight.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Jen sat outside the med bay, her head in her hands. Kevin was in the cafeteria getting both of them something to eat. Gwen had a major test the next morning and had to duck out but told Jen to call her as soon as there was any news. Jen took a deep breath as her communicator went off.

“Yes.” 

“Miss Tennyson there’s… an interesting package for you here.” Jen glanced at the door to the med bay. 

“Can you sign for it? I’m sort of waiting to hear if one of my friends is dying or not.” 

“I’m sorry Miss Tennyson this isn’t the kind of package one can sign for.” Jen rolled her eyes. 

“Fine, I’ll be up in a minute.” Jen stood and quickstepped up to the elevator. Kevin got off as she reached the doors. Kevin frowned holding out a cup to her. 

“Where are you going?” Jen shook her head. 

“Apparently I have mail only I can sign for.” She took the drink and got on the elevator. “Call if they say anything about Pierce before I get back.” He nodded as the doors slid closed. But when she reached the main floor she found that it wasn’t really a package. It was an unconscious Sir Driscoll. He was much more bruised than he had been just a few hours before when she’d seen him last. Pinned to his doublet was a note. Raising an eyebrow she tore it off. 

“‘To Jennifer Tennyson with my apologies, the man who shot the young Plumber.’” She flipped the note and nearly smiled. “Put him in holding until Pierce wakes up. And contact Bauman, he’ll give you the names of a few families I know would be more than happy to press charges against this ass.” She slipped the note into her pocket. “If you need me, I will be in the med bay.” She turned on her heel as several of the Plumbers began to process the Forever Knight. She stepped onto the elevator and pulled out the note again. Flipping it over she smiled at the phone number scribbled on the back. She knew that handwriting all too well. She pulled out her phone and keyed in the number. 

‘Good to hear from you.’ She typed out and hit send. Her phone pinged as she stepped out of the elevator. 

‘You as well my young friend. Dinner?’ Jen glanced over at Kevin.

‘Soon.’


	13. Diner

Jen shook her head as she weaved her motorcycle through traffic. The last few days had been crazy. An emergency signal had pulled them off Earth to the home planet of the Aracnachimps which had been practically overrun by DNAliens. With some help from Simian, the con artist they’d met just before the Highbreed invasion, and Eunice, the prototype Unitrix who now worked as Azmuth’s assistant, they’d managed to sort it out quite quickly. Then the day they’d gotten back a large ship full of technodrone robots had landed, each harder to beat than the other and all set on killing her. Hired by Vulkanis, who in the end helped them defeat it though he hadn’t meant to. The fact that she was able to trick the advanced tech by covering the Ultimatrix with her jacket and using Kevin’s old ID mask to make it look like Vulkanis had it instead really spoke to the shoddy design of the bots which the three of them had laughed over. 

There was some good news to be had though. Pierce was stable. He was still stuck in medical as they were regrowing one of his kidneys and part of his lung from the damage he’d sustained at the hands of the Forever Knights. Driscoll and his men, who’d shown up also tied and beaten not too long after the knight himself, were being prosecuted to the full extent of two different sets of laws and were currently lounging in the cells at the Plumber base. Jen turned down a side street and pulled up to a small dinner. She parked, pulled out her phone and checked the address. She nodded to herself and pulled off her helmet, placing it in the saddlebag of her bike. She pulled a shoulder bag out of the other one and swung it over her shoulder as she dismounted her bike. Taking a deep breath she stepped into the dinner. 

It was late, nearing midnight. Her parents had given up on making her keep a curfew when they found out the truth. After all evil didn’t keep school night hours, though she wouldn’t have to worry about that for a few months yet. Though it was a twenty four hour restaurant, the dinner was empty save for an older woman behind the breakfast bar. She looked up at the tinkle of the bell and smiled as Jen slipped into a booth away from the windows. She stepped over to her and handed her a menu. 

“What can I get you sweetie?” She asked popping her gum. Jen glanced at the door. 

“I’m actually waiting for someone so I think just a Coke for now.” The waitress nodded and stepped back behind the counter to get her drink. The bell over the door sounded again and a man walked in. Jen grinned as she stood. He looked over at her and his bright blue eyes crinkled into a smile. 

“Jennifer, it is good to see you!” She nodded as he stepped up to her. She pulled him into a hug. 

“It’s good to see you too George.” They sat on opposite sides of the booth as the waitress came back with Jen’s Coke and asked for George’s order. He ordered a black coffee and a breakfast platter. Jen grinned and ordered a burger and fries. The waitress poured George his coffee and went back into the kitchen with their order. George smiled. 

“You haven’t aged a day in seventeen hundred years.” Jen laughed. 

“Not quite that long for me, only like a week. Time travel is weird.” George nodded into his coffee. 

“Yes I imagine so. It has been so long I don’t know where to start. The Plumber Driscoll attacked? Will he live?” Jen nodded as she sipped her soda. 

“Yes. It’ll take a while for him to recover but he’ll live. When did your knights go so sour?” She hadn’t meant it to sound like an accusation. But that was how it came out. George sighed. 

“I left the knights to their own devices for several centuries. When last I was involved with them the crusades had ended, many of them found it glorious but I… I could not stomach the violence anymore. I left an heir in charge and vanished into the wilds for a long time. I learned things. But by the time I looked in again on my legacy it was poisonous and cancerous. I’m ashamed to say that I did nothing to change it. I exiled myself for my failure. I only returned to England seventy or so years ago hoping that I would again meet a friend. I had no idea you were here.” Jen’s smile was melancholy.

“Well I couldn’t have been specific in my note back then, you wouldn’t have believed me, or understood.” George nodded and pulled something out of his pocket. He laid the stone on the table and nodded to it. 

“It led me to the seal.” Jen nodded picking up the stone. It was cracked in the same place the seal had been broken. 

“Another thing you can thank your knights for.” She muttered. George nodded slightly. 

“I know they have been dealt with. But what worries me now is how much time we have left before the seal breaks completely. Jen held up a hand as the door to the kitchen opened again. The waitress came out carrying their food and set it in front of them. 

“Anything else I can get for you and your granddaughter?” She asked and Jen shook her head. 

“We’re fine thanks.” The waitress nodded and stepped out the front door. She pulled a pack of cigarettes from her apron pocket and lit one. Jen nodded for George to continue. 

“Do you have any way of checking?” Jen shook her head.

“Not really.” She said with her mouth full. George raised an eyebrow and she rolled her eyes before finishing chewing and swallowing her mouthful as he began to cut his omelet. “Like I said not really. It’s too dangerous to use Stardust to check it after what the Lucubra did to my cousin Gwen.” George raised an eyebrow.

“Your cousin is the sorceress my knights have told me about.” Jen shrugged as she finished another bite. 

“It’s a bit more complicated than that but for now yeah. It got into her head.” George frowned. “I killed it.” He nodded to her. He’d seen her kill the Lucubra before. The first time it had happened she’d broken down, babbling about having a rule, that she did not kill. But the Lucubra weren’t truly alive in the first place they were offshoots of the Dagon’s power, spawned from death and destruction. Eventually she’d been able to down them with the best of the knights but it had taken some time to get to that point. She shook her head. 

“I remember how difficult it was to get a Lucubra out of someone’s head, I’m betting that hasn’t changed.” George nodded. 

“That I don’t know. Without the Dagon present in this world she could be free of its power completely. But even the death of the Lucubra back then didn’t always free the victim.” Jen nodded. 

“Which is why she has no idea I’m here. Or Kevin cause he’ll tell her in a heartbeat.” Jen said reaching into the bag sitting next to her on the seat. She pulled out two books and laid them on the table. George smiled at the books. One was bound in green leather, the other in plain leather. Both were embossed with different symbols. 

“You found them? How?” Jen grinned. 

“Long story short? A friend of mine is a budding archaeologist and found half a forever Knight castle in the Nevada desert. How did that happen?” George laughed into his omelet.

“One of my knights decided it would be a good idea to seduce and abandon a sorceress.” Jen burst out laughing as the waitress came back into the dinner, having finished her cigarette. 

“That explains the trap.” George snorted. They finished their food talking about easy things, that wouldn’t draw the curiosity of their waitress. When they were finished and the waitress had slipped off again to talk to the cook, Jen looked George over. 

“What will you do now?” George picked up the green book. 

“I will find Ascalon. My men are arming for the war ahead. There will be many battles if the Dagon truly escapes.” He paused. “You could come with me. I have my base set, everything we need.” Jen raised an eyebrow. 

“Base?” 

“I may have borrowed some military equipment.” Jen snorted into her Coke. 

“You stole area fifty one?” George nodded. Jen burst out laughing. 

“Stole is a strong word, I have every intention of returning it.” Jen laughed long and loud her face turning red. When she finally caught her breath he raised an eyebrow at her. “Will you come with me to find Ascalon?” Jen shook her head, swiping at her eyes. 

“I can’t, too many people know me. I need to be here, try to head off what I can here. There’s no telling where the fortress might turn up.” George nodded, picking up the books. 

“Stay safe my friend.” He laid down a hundred dollar bill as he stood and walked out of the dinner. Jen stood and hurried out to her bike. Slipping on her helmet she gunned the engine and drove off down the street, she needed to get some sleep. Julie had asked her to meet her downtown at lunch the next day. It had been too long since she’d hung out with her friend, it would be nice to have a normal day for once.


	14. Tension

Jen wasn’t expecting Kevin to show at the spot Julie had asked to meet her. Julie was already there and she grinned then frowned. 

“Where’s Gwen?” Kevin shrugged. 

“Class.” Julie looked a bit put out but nodded. Jen tucked her helmet into the saddlebag of her motorcycle. 

“Thought this was a girls day Jules. No offence Kev.” He shrugged. 

“I was a bit surprised when you called me too Julie.” Kevin said clicking on the locks to his car. Julie smiled at both of them. 

“Well I wanted both of you here, all three really but Gwen’s so busy lately.” Jen nodded. 

“Yep graduating early takes work.” Julie nodded. 

“I bet. But I wanted to show you guys something, I’ve been wanting to show you for a while. It’s the philanthropic organization I’ve been working with. Come on!” Kevin and Jen exchanged a confused looked as Julie led them into an office building. She kept talking as they walked. 

“They do a lot of good work, with underprivileged schools, and hospitals in third world countries! They call themselves the Flame Keeper’s Circle.” Kevin snorted as Jen raised an eyebrow. 

“Bit of a mouthful.” Jen stated coolly. Kevin nodded looking around the well decorated lobby. 

“What do these guys do for money again? They look like they’re not hurting for it.” Julie rolled her eyes at the ex-con leading them to an elevator. 

“They accept donations.” Kevin laughed as Julie hit the elevator button. 

“Argit would love this place.” Jen snorted as Julie glared at Kevin. 

“It’s a non-profit Kevin.” Jen nodded. 

“And how’d you find out about it?” Julie grinned. 

“They approached me at a tennis match, my status can help them spread their message to a wider audience.” Kevin raised an eyebrow. 

“Your status as one hundred and third in women’s tennis? Or your well known association with Jen?” Julie scowled. 

“Eighty second thank you very much.” Jen elbowed Kevin. 

“Not everything is about me Kev.” The elevator door opened and a voice rang out to them.

“Jennifer Tennyson!”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kevin’s first impression of Conduit Edwards was that the man bathed in smarm. He turned the charm up to eleven, determined to get Jen to join his little organization but Kevin was closer to thinking the word cult. The man didn’t talk about what good works the organization did across the world or donations instead he talked about fire being the root of knowledge, that humans were gifted the basics of technology by a benevolent alien. Apparently one in particular. Edwards called him the Dagon and Jen’s entire demeanor shifted from skeptical to on guard for a fight. Kevin frowned leaning on the marble of the secretary’s desk, the stone in easy reach if he needed it. Jen excused herself quickly after that sending a searching look at the carved stone door they had passed earlier. Julie and Kevin followed her, Kevin making sure they weren’t followed. Edwards had looked very disappointed when Jen had brushed him off. 

“Jen wait up!” Julie called out as Jen quickstepped to her bike. Jen paused. “That was really rude! He’s just trying to help people!” Jen whirled on them and Kevin spotted a gleam in her eyes he recognized. He’d seen it a few times before but only when they were facing off against world ending threats like Vilgax. 

“Julie you need to get out of there. Stop going to these meetings please.” Julie stiffened.

“Why because only you get to save the world?” She asked bitterly.

“Julie trust me they aren’t in this for the good of all mankind.” 

“Jen you barely let him talk after he mentioned his beliefs! I can’t believe you would be so closeminded!” Jen’s fist clenched.

“Did it ever occur to you that I know a shit ton more about aliens than you do! Maybe, just maybe for once in our lives I know something you don’t.” Julie crossed her arms as Jen pulled out her helmet and mounted her bike. 

“I’m going to the meeting tonight, you should come too, they’re good people Jen. Please if you gave them the chance you’d see that!” Jen flipped down her visor and took off before Julie could say anything else. Julie turned to Kevin. 

“Will you be there?” She sounded a bit like she was desperate. 

“Nah, I haven’t seen Jen riled like that since last time we fought Vilgax. It might be she knows something we don’t.” He conceded this only because she was no longer in earshot. Julie frowned. 

“You spent more time in space than she has right?” Kevin nodded. “Then have you ever heard of the Dagon?” He shook his head. 

“Nope, might not even be real for all I know. What I do know is that nothing ever comes for free Julie, even from aliens. If the Dagon is real and maybe gave humanity something, there was a cost.” He clicked off the locks on his car and left Julie alone on the sidewalk. He made his way to the Hole, the section of the Plumber base under Ed’s mechanic shop. He pulled up the Plumber files and frowned before typing in his search. 

There was almost nothing in any of the files. The only thing that came up was the tapestry they kept running across, the one of Jen in the past. He wasn’t well versed in Galvan but he ran them through the translation software and frowned. 

“ ‘The Defeat of the Dagon’, what aren’t you telling us Jen?” Shaking his head he stood and left the Hole to go check on Pierce. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Azmuth frowned as Eunice approached him. She was holding a data pad and wearing a frown. 

“I know you said not to disturb you but this alert keeps popping up.” He sighed and turned from the white band he was tinkering with. 

“What could possibly be so important that you could interrupt this project?” She held out the data pad and he frowned, eyes going wide. They were both silent for a moment. Eunice raised an eyebrow. 

“What does it mean?” Azmuth set down his tools. 

“Nothing but trouble. I need to speak to Jennifer.” He tapped out coordinates on the teleporter he wore on his wrist and vanished before Eunice could say anything.

“Oh, sure I’d love to see her too. Maybe you could tell your assistant what’s going on!” She griped as she made her way out of the lab. Myaxx laughed lightly. 

“He is always like that little one. The First Thinker rarely shares his thoughts with his assistants.” Eunice frowned as the taller female ruffled her blonde hair. “If it was important enough to put a pause to completing the finalized Omnitrix then it must be of world shaking importance. He’ll be back soon. Come we need to do the daily check of the Codon Stream.” Eunice nodded and followed the tall alien out of the only large building on Primus.


	15. Gifts and Betrayal

Jen sat at the table in the empty lot of Mr. Smoothies. She wasn’t sulking she was planning and wondering. How had a group of humans come to worship the Dagon a literal destructive demon, but then again she’d been asking herself for a while now how a group of knights who’d started defending the world could turn to one of the most xenophobic groups she knew. Time seemed to be the answer to both questions. She flicked through George’s Journal, well the translation Kai and Gregory had done, she’d given him back the original. He went into some detail about the varied forms the Dagon took here, during their search for the creature. Apparently she had only seen one of its forms. It could take on the form of the squid thing carved into the stone door at the headquarters of the Flame Keeper’s Circle. A light flashed on the table and Jen leapt backwards hand going to the Ultimatrix. 

“No need for that Jennifer.” She sighed as Azmuth formed on the table. Sitting back down she took a long draw on her smoothie. She raised an eyebrow at him. “I am here because a great threat bears down on your world.” Jen nodded. 

“Yeah, the Dagon.” Azmuth froze. 

“How did you know? That was well before your time.” Jen rolled her eyes, looking up as though asking some great being for patience. 

“Got tossed back to medieval England and helped George beat it. He’s out looking for the sword now. Why are you here, vague warnings? Cause honestly I could do with less of those.” Azmuth blinked again. 

“I suppose so. Does anyone else know?” Jen shook her head. 

“No, I don’t know who to trust right now. One of the Lucubra escaped the seal already, it got into Gwen’s head, which is why I ended up tossed through time. I don’t know how much of it might still be there, or how to beat it without killing the Dagon again. And now there’s a group of humans who claim it’s the ‘knowledge bringer’.” Jen rested her head in her hands and Azmuth tapped the Ultimatrix which whirred to life. 

“Access Master control. Code ten, command override Primus.” Jen felt the rush of power through her veins like she’d only felt once before, the first time she’d set foot on Primus, the world that held all the DNA information for the Omnitrix. She was shaking when she again became aware of her surroundings. She was still sitting on the bench at the Mr. Smoothies table, Azmuth standing on the table in front of her. A soft green glow surrounded her and Azmuth was tapping at the lines of glowing code on her skin. She blinked and breathed out. The code lines flickered and vanished. Azmuth nodded. 

“Make a flame in your hand.” He ordered. Jen blinked at him. He raised an eyebrow. She lifted her hand and focused on how it felt when Heatblast made a flame. Her hand lit up like a torch and she laughed putting it out just as quickly. She frowned at him. 

“Can I still transform?” He nodded. 

“You can use the Ultimatrix to do it or not but yes your ability to transform won’t be effected. The only visible side effect is your pupal nothing I can do about that, but I believe you said you didn’t want to walk around looking like a ‘cyberpunk makeup nightmare’.” Jen laughed then sobered. 

“Why, you never trusted me enough to give me master control without serious threats happening before.” Azmuth shook his head. 

“I trusted you, I still do. I did not believe you were ready, but if you’re going to face the Dagon again, I want you prepared this time.” She nodded and stood a plan forming in her mind. 

“Thank you Azmuth.” He nodded. 

“Use it wisely.” He vanished as she threw out her empty smoothie cup and raced to her bike. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Getting into the Flame Keeper’s Circle headquarters was far too easy. She slipped in, invisible as Chamalien, a new transformation she’d acquired during the debacle at area fifty one with the illegal alien prison Colonel Rozum had been hiding. The transformation was a large bipedal, purple chameleon like alien with multiple green eyes that could manipulate the light spectrum around itself and appear invisible. She could also climb walls with ease, something she took full advantage of as she slipped into the stairwell and made her way to the floor Conduit Edwards had met them on. It was empty She climbed up the wall and shifted to Upgrade, sinking into the security system and easily looping the video feed to the whole floor. She slipped out of the camera and transformed back to herself. Confidant she was no longer observed she slipped into the large stone room where the carved door was hidden behind a large curtain. She yanked it aside and stepped up to the carved door. It took her a moment to find the switch that opened the door but she pressed it and it opened. Slipping inside she blinked as her eyes adjusted to the dark. She frowned slightly and, using Wildmutt’s senses made her way to the light switch. She turned to the center of the room as a low familiar laugh echoed around her. 

“Jen Tennyson. I was wondering how long it would take you to find me.” Jen blinked at the sight in front of her. There was a large tank, nearly from floor to ceiling, and inside the tank was a very familiar figure. A near ten foot tall squid-like thing with familiar red shining eyes. Jen stared for a minute. 

“Vilgax?” She asked. She hadn’t fought him long like this, and she’d been close to death at the time so she needed the confirmation. The tentacles flexed as the creature laughed. 

“Of course, did you believe I died in that explosion?” Jen stayed silent, her hand curling in to her torso. Vilgax couldn’t see the com unit she was activating under her shirt. “You came close to finishing me off in that crash, as I know was your intent. I was weakened, unable to return to my normal form, swept out to sea. Eventually I washed up on shore. I was too weak to stop myself from being sold to a traveling Carnival but it gave me food and shelter to regain my strength. I was liberated by these interesting humans, the Esoterica, not too long ago. Quite loyal, they’ve even acquired a class seven starship.” Jen nodded slightly stepping a bit closer to the tank. 

“And when they deliver your starship Vilgax?” She asked coolly knowing someone on the other end was listening, hopefully there would be a team on the way. The giant squid writhed in the tank rising nearly to the surface of the water. 

“I will find that traitorous Psyphon and drag him back to my empire in chains. I will rule my worlds once again.” Jen shook her head. 

“Hate to break it to you but Psyphon is in the Null Void. And your empire collapsed when everyone heard you were dead. With no tyrant in charge the worlds you subjugated freed themselves. You have no empire.” He hissed angrily. 

“You lie!” 

“I really don’t though. That tends to happen when a despotic leader disappears. The beings under their control take back power.” Vilgax roared in anger. 

“Guards!” He shouted and Jen darted to the door slamming it shut and wrenching the lock into place. Vilgax laughed. 

“You cannot stop the Esoterica with doors.” Jen heard footsteps behind her and dropped avoiding the fist that swung where her head had been. They were difficult to fight, it seemed they had the ability to not simply appear and disappear but to somehow step between dimensions and appear somewhere else, run on air and they packed quite a punch. Jen used the Ultimatrix to transform into Big Chill, freezing them in their tracks helped but they were too quick for the regular necrofriggian. So she went Ultimate Big Chill and froze the Esoterica where they stood. A voice called out from the now opened door. 

“Stop this at once!” Jen whirled on the door and found Conduit Edwards standing there in robes unlike his fully covered solders. His hand was wrapped around Julie’s upper arm. “Stop now or I will lose Julie between worlds!” Edwards threatened as the arms of one of his Esoterica sprouted from thin air and grabbed Julie’s hands and made to tug her into the void. 

“No!” Jen transformed back to herself dropping out of the air and landing in a crouch. Her hand came up to her calf and Julie thought she spotted a flash of silver as Jen straightened but there was nothing in her hand. “You win let her go.” Her voice was steely as Conduit Edwards released Julie. 

“It’s ok Jen, he wasn’t going to hurt me, we just needed you to listen.” Jen’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

“What?” Her voice was low and icy. 

“It was the only way I could get Big Chill to chill out. They were right Jen, the Dagon is back and he’s going to help humanity. He’s going to take his ship and bring back new technology to make Earth a better place.” Jen was shaking with rage. 

“That’s not the Dagon it’s Vilgax!” Julie froze as she reached out to comfort her friend. 

“What?” Julies voice shook, cracking with realization that maybe she’d been wrong this whole time. 

“He’s been lying to all of you, he gets on that ship he’ll fly off and start an interstellar civil war!” Conduit snarled. 

“Liar!” 

“No she’s right, except about the flying off part.” Jen let out a slight breath as Kevin and Gwen came into the room. Julie looked confused. Gwen was kind enough to explain. 

“They stole a Plumber ship. We took it back.” Kevin held up a greenish yellow crystal.

“And it’s not going anywhere without the Pulse Core.” He was already covered in metal and smashed his fist into the crystal which shattered into dust. Vilgax roared. 

“Kill them!”


	16. Crossed

Jen moved first, a knife appeared in her hand as if by magic and she threw it hard into the glass of the tank. It shattered into pieces and Jen grabbed Julie as a wave of water came crashing into them. Only Vilgax saw her hand whip out of the water that cascaded across the room. The dagger she’d thrown flew into her hand as if summoned as she transformed into Jetray, seizing Julie by the shoulder and flying out of the room as Gwen and Kevin raced out. Conduit Edwards screamed as the water rushed out of what was left of the tank. Vilgax gasped as the Esoterica rushed to help him. He thought as they worked to rebuild the tank. She had not touched the Ultimatrix to transform. That was not a power she’d had before, and how had she managed to summon the knife to her like that. He was intent to find out. 

“We are the Flame Keeper’s Circle! We do not doubt! The Dagon will transform this world!” Vilgax smiled lightly. 

“Indeed, when I am done with this world you will not recognize it.” 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The four of them raced outside the building and paused for breath, they weren’t being followed. Julie reached out to Jen but she shook her off. 

“Don’t. Just don’t.” Julie shrank slightly as Gwen and Kevin raised eyebrows. Jen was still shaking with rage as she pulled up her pant leg and sheathed her dagger yanking the hem of her jeans back into place with a bit more violence than was strictly necessary. 

“Jen I didn’t mean to…” Jen cut her off. 

“Didn’t mean to what Julie? Didn’t mean to fake a hostage situation? Didn’t mean to use our friendship against me? Which is it?” Julie was silent. 

“I didn’t know.” Jen turned to her, her eyes cold. 

“I tried to warn you. I told you to stop going. I told you that maybe I know something you didn’t. But you didn’t listen.” Jen shook her head and walked away before any of them could stop her she transformed into Jetray and vanished quickly into the night sky. Gwen shook her head at Julie. 

“I’d leave her alone for a while.” Kevin nodded. 

“She might forgive you, she’s forgiven me for worse. But yeah let her breathe for a while.” Julie burst into tears. Gwen hugged her patting her on her back. Kevin was less ready to forgive. After all he’d been there, he’d warned Julie about it too. Jen knew something they didn’t. He frowned as he got in the car. Something had just occurred to him. Jen hadn’t touched the Ultimatrix to turn into Jetray either time tonight. How had she gotten Master Control back?

He didn’t get an answer to his question, not for the next few days. Discovering that Albeda had escaped the explosion of Vilgax’s ship too was a bit of a surprise. Her making some cash by creating a stage production based around Jen and several of her aliens. The Vaxasaurian girl had warned them that Albeda was planning something beyond the show which the ex-Galvan claimed was over anyway. She’d led them to a warehouse where Albeda had indeed built a device. 

The fight between the two on top of the machine was quick, Albeda tossing Jen off the structure. But the damage was done, though Albeda could now shift form without any assistance, though her time as those aliens seemed limited and she was stuck going back to the negative colored Jen form she’d been trapped in before. She was still quite angry about that as she escaped vowing vengeance. Jen sighed and turned back to normal. Kevin was closest to her and frowned. Her eye was different, just like it had been last time Azmuth had given her Master Control. Her pupal had split forming the Omnitrix symbol inside her eye. He frowned but didn’t bring it up as they headed back to Mr. Smoothies. When Gwen ducked out to use the restroom though he raised an eyebrow at Jen. 

“When did you get Master Control back?” He asked and she blinked at him, her hand lifting to cover the effected eye. 

“Azmuth seems to think I’m ready. He popped up a few days ago and fixed it for me. No idea why really. He tends to do what he wants. I didn’t want to make a big deal about it.” Kevin nodded slightly and they slipped back into silence. But Kevin wasn’t convinced that was everything, he’d figure out what was wrong. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Gwen was still having nightmares. The thing, the shadow that had begun haunting her dreams after she’d thrown Jen into the past was growing closer. She had no idea what it was but it grated on her every nerve. She sighed as she buried her head in her hands. There was a tap on her door. She shook her head slightly. 

“Come in!” She called and the door opened. She smiled. “Grandpa Max!”

“Hey Pumpkin.” He opened his arms and she rushed from her desk chair to hug him. He smiled. “I haven’t seen you in a while, I thought I’d check up on you.” Gwen smiled. 

“It’s been a stressful few weeks.” She said sitting on her bed. Max sat down next to her. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Gwen shrugged. 

“I feel like Jen’s pulling away. She normally tells me everything but…” She paused. “Did she tell you what happened when we ran up against the Lucubra?” Max nodded. It had been an odd moment when Jen had shown up at the base and sought him out practically leaping into his arms. She had explained some of what had happened but not everything. He could always tell when she was holding back. He had so far let her keep it to herself but if this kept up he might just have to sit her down and figure out how to get her to tell him everything. Gwen nodded and continued. 

“It feels like she doesn’t trust me anymore. I mean I guess I understand her having an issue trusting me after what I did but…” Max pulled Gwen into another hug. 

“You didn’t do that Gwen, we all know that.” Gwen sniffled slightly but nodded. 

“Still. I don’t think she trusts me anymore and I don’t know how to fix it.” Max rubbed calming circles on Gwen’s back. 

“Be there for her as much as you can. That’s all you can do right now.” Gwen nodded holding onto her grandfather and she sniffled.


	17. Intent

Jen wasn’t sure what had happened. She remembered something going wrong with her Ultimate Humungousaur transformation, a mind not her own laying on top of hers, almost crushing her. Everything had hurt and then she’d woken up in a city she didn’t recognize, it was deserted and entirely made of greens and blacks. Even the sky was green she was beyond confused. She would have said she was inside the Omnitrix but it had never been like this. But, she reasoned she’d never been in the Ultimatrix like she had the Omnitrix, maybe that was where she was. Or maybe she was dead. She frowned. 

“I don’t have time to be dead, I have to much to do.” The ground around her began to shake as she spotted a large pit of red flames nearby. The ground around her cracked and her Ultimate transformations surrounded her. 

“You’re not dead. Yet.” Ultimate Humungousaur growled. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Gwen and Kevin were unsure what to do next. After one of the most intense moments, literally fighting herself Jen had collapsed in a flash of bright light, leaving behind jus the Ultimatrix which was dark as though dead. Gwen could still feel her alive inside the watch. But there were other things in there too, several of them. She would need help. But Kevin was convinced they needed Azmuth to fix it. 

“Come on Gwen, we know what happens when she takes the damn thing off what happens if that’s what’s happening now?” Gwen shook slightly and Kevin pulled her into his arms. 

“If I can go into the Watch I can get her out, at least figure out what’s happening.” Kevin buried his head in her hair for a moment. 

“You try your way I’ll try mine. We’ll get her back one way or the other.” Gwen pulled him in for a kiss. 

“Thank you Kevin.” He nodded.

“Be careful Gwen.” She pecked him on the lips again and turned to the Ultimatrix. With a wave of her hands a circle of magic materialized around herself and the Ultimatrix, runes for protection sprouting from the circle as Kevin took off for his car at a run. He had to get back to the base to get to the Rustbucket Three and take off for Galvan Mark Two. Gwen nodded as he raced away and focused on the Watch, projecting her astral self into Ultimatrix. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Jen dove to the side as Ultimate Echo-Echo shot a blast of sound at her. 

“You guys really are alive. How long?” The transformations paused as she rolled back to her feet. 

“We don’t know. It’s hard to tell time here, trapped! Your mind creates this place! If you die we will be free!” Ultimate Humungousaur snarled. Jen blinked and was trapped as Ultimate Spidermonkey wrapped her in webbing. But she didn’t struggle as she was dragged towards the pit. If the Ultimate transformations were alive that implied that she’d been using living thinking beings not just blank DNA slates that she became. They were alive in there. But she got no further in her realization as pink lights flashed and sparked around them. 

“No one picks on my cousin but me!” Gwen’s voice was doubled as her pure Anodite form descended from the sky and blasted back the Ultimate transformations, leaving Jen still tied in webbing in the center of what looked like a street. She descended severing the webs with a flick of the wrist. She pulled her cousin to her feet, the glowing Anodite’s never really touching the ground. 

“Ok, a lot happening here. First, full Anodite form? Since when?” Gwen smiled blank white eyes still conveying guilt and amusement.

“It’s my astral form, I’m a bit more Anodite than we thought.” Jen nodded slightly. 

“Second, you need to leave.” Gwen frowned as the Ultimate forms got to their feet looking ready to fight again. “Gwen they’re alive, they might have been alive the whole time. If I keep them here I’m no better than people like Vilgax.” Gwen shook her head as the transformations stared at her. 

“How are you supposed to free them?” Gwen asked her voice shaking. She thought she knew the answer to that question. Jen hugged her tight. 

“I love you cuz.” She whispered in her ear before stepping over to Ultimate Humungousaur. She looked up at the transformation and nodded. “How are we doing this?” The evolved Vaxasaurian regarded her for a moment before picking her up. She nodded to the other and they made their way down a row of the things that looked like buildings, but looking around more, aware that this was to be the last thing she ever saw, the whole place was made up of circuits and the things that made up the interior of the Ultimatrix. It would have been pretty cool if she didn’t have to die here. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kevin got onto Galvan Mar Two without problems, Jen access codes let him breeze by planetary security and he landed easily enough. The problem was getting through the security outside of Azmuth’s lab. The Galvanic Mechamorph would not let him by, so he resorted to shouting the situation up at the lab as he fought the Mechamorph. 

“So what if she messed up the Ultimatrix! She lays down her life everyday for nobodies like me! I won’t let you abandon her when she needs help, she’s a hero, and she’s my best friend!” He missed his last dodge and the Mechamorph’s blast collided with his metal chest sending him crashing to the ground. He was convinced that was the end of it. Azmuth wouldn’t listen. 

“Stop!” A flash of light heralded Azmuth appearing next to Kevin. He waved off the Mechamorph. “You’re becoming self-aware Levin. Perhaps there’s hope for you after all.” He tapped his teleporter and they dissolved into light. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Jen stepped up to the rim of the pit which was filled with flames so hot they were white and red. Jen looked back at the transformations around her. Gwen had followed them, at a distance but she was still here. Jen wished she’d left, it would make this easier. But it had to be done. 

“For what it’s worth I never meant for any of you to get hurt. I’m sorry.” The transformations frowned at each other as she turned back to the pit. Without another word she stepped off the edge tumbling into the fire below. Gwen screamed. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kevin and Azmuth appeared in the construction site as a bright blast of light surrounded the spot Kevin knew that Gwen had been with the Ultimatrix. It was huge and Kevin grabbed Azmuth, protecting him as several crashes sounded from the light. Soon the light died and Kevin blinked. Azmuth hopped down and quickstepped over to Jen where she lay curled up on the ground about four feet away from where the Ultimatrix had been. The Watch was back around her wrist, whirring palliatively. Gwen was the only one of the figures on her feet. 

Ultimate Humungousaur, Ultimate Spidermonkey, Ultimate Cannonbolt, Ultimate Big Chill, Ultimate Echo-Echo, and Ultimate Swampfire each lay in a circle around the unconscious human. Gwen raced to her downed cousin. 

“She’s alive!” Gwen sobbed in relief as she knelt by her cousin, picking up her head and putting it into her lap. The brunette remained limp though as Azmuth tapped a code into the dial of the Ultimatrix. The transformations were beginning to stir and Kevin squared up ready to defend the two girls. Gwen was hiccupping as Azmuth did something to the interior of the Ultimatrix. 

“Fascinating. Giving her Master Control seems to have caused a bit of crossed circuitry that caused the Ultimate forms of her aliens to develop separate consciousness. I can fix that.” He set to work as the transformations awoke and blinked around them. Ultimate Big Chill took to the air spinning in delight as the others began to rejoice in their freedom as well. Jen groaned and they gathered around. Kevin tensed and Ultimate Swampfire shook her head. 

“We won’t hurt her, she saved us.” Gwen nodded and Kevin relaxed slightly as bright green eyes blinked open. 

“I lived?” She asked groggily and Gwen laughed exasperatedly. 

“You don’t get to check out that easy Tennyson.” Kevin laughed lightly. Azmuth nodded as he did something else. 

“Your sacrifice reset the Ultimatrix, freeing the trapped beings, and with a tweak to the internal mechanics and programing the new Ultimate Transformations will be as the other transformations are, blank DNA samples for the Ultimatrix to turn you into. And I’ve restored Master Control.” Jen nodded Gwen frowned. 

“When did you give her Master Control of the Ultimatrix?” The redhead asked scrubbing at her face as her cousin sat up. 

“When she was ready.” The Galvan answered cryptically. Gwen looked like she was about to ask more when Ultimate Humungousaur stepped forwards. 

“What about us? The only home we’ve ever known was inside that device.” Jen looked to Azmuth who sighed then nodded. 

“We will find you each homes. Where you can be free.” He tapped the teleporter, this time opening a portal in swirling green. Ultimate Humungousaur looked down at Jen as she stood, Gwen hovering. 

“We were wrong about you. Thank you.” Jen smiled at her. 

“You deserve a life too, no thanks necessary. I hope I see you guys again someday.” Ultimate Humungousaur smiled. 

“I hope so too.” She followed the others through the portal. Jen turned to Kevin and Gwen as the portal vanished. 

“Is anyone else really hungry?” She asked a slight grin on her face. Gwen laughed. 

“Burgers?” Kevin asked tossing an arm around Gwen’s shoulders. “My treat!" He offered. Gwen raised an eyebrow. 

"Your treat?” He nodded slinging his other arm around Jen. 

“Anything for my favorite girl. And my best friend.” Jen laughed as the three of them made their way out of the construction site. 

“I will never turn down free food!” She said smiling as Kevin kissed Gwen on the forehead. For just a moment everything that was coming, every battle she knew she would have to fight was far away, happening to someone else. For the first time in a long time she’d done something right and for now she was going to bask in that.


	18. Unofficial

It amused Jen to no end that when the feds showed up at her door they outright stated that the normal procedure was to demand that she come with them, but since they knew who they were dealing with they were asking nicely. Finding out that it was Coronel Rozum asking for her was less pleasant and she might not have gone if she had known. 

“So what do you want from me now? And when is your court marshal scheduled for? You know the one for running an illegal prison under area fifty one.” He kept his cool remarkably well. 

“My court marshal isn’t until next month, and I need your help.” He went on to explain that many a ship had gone missing around the Pacific Garbage Vortex including his own sister. His superiors had ordered him to officially shut down the investigation. So he was asking them to go in unofficially. Jen stood, jerking her head slightly towards the door. Kevin and Gwen took the hint and stood as well. 

“Well. Thanks for the info Coronel.” He frowned. 

“Will you go? I can’t order you, but…” Jen stayed silent for a moment as the other two headed to the door. 

“We’ll help. But not for you. This is the kind of thing we usually spend our weekends on anyway.” She followed the others out of the room. Rozum let out a long breath and nodded after them. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Finding out that the Pacific Garbage Vortex was alive was less than fun though she did get to stretch her legs as Way Big for the first time in a long time which was always fun. Sending it flying into the sun was pretty fun, knowing that it would take some time for an ecological terror of the same magnitude to build was nice. Meeting and taking care of Ma Vreedle was less fun but all together necessary. Finding out Kevin was afraid of her was hilarious. But none the less they had prevented her using Earth’s oceans to spawn a new batch of clones she dubbed Pretty Boys, she’d only managed to make about thirteen before they’d put a stop to it. But it all got worked out in the end and Octagon and Rhomboid were sent back to the Plumber Academy. Getting a text from the unsaved number she knew to be George that night Jen made her excuses and headed out to the address he’d texted her. 

Kevin knew this wasn’t a good plan. Following Jennifer Tennyson was not a good idea for anyone. He would know, though admittedly when they were kids he hadn’t been one for stealth. This time though he was doing everything he could to not be spotted, following her motorcycle at a distance in his car which he’d camouflaged so he wouldn’t be recognized. But when she took a back street out of town he swore and turned on Cooper’s cloaking tech. He still followed at a distance, hoping the small cloud of dust his car kicked up on the dirt road wouldn’t be noticed. She pulled up in front of a ranch house nearly ten miles outside of the city. It was beautiful. Two stories, with a wraparound porch and a large stretch of wooden fence. Kevin thought he spotted a horse in the pasture as Jen pulled off her helmet and looked up out the house. He pulled out his binoculars and zoomed as she pulled her phone out of her pocket. She was checking the address. She smiled. Kevin wished he’d bugged her bike. Then he shook his head and pulled out his phone. 

He’d bugged her phone ages ago when he started working with her. He’d only used it once before when they thought she’d gone off the rails attacking Forever Knight castles and DNAlien hives without provocation or assistance. It had turned out to be Albeda at the time but he knew this was Jen as he flicked on the bug and set his phone in the cup holder as she slipped her phone into her pocket stepping towards the wraparound porch. 

“George!” He refocused the binoculars. There was an old man sitting on the porch. If he didn’t know better he’d guess that this was her grandfather on her mother’s side. But she never called Max just Max, he doubted she would do differently to any other grandfather. The man was old, slightly bowed with age but he bowed slightly as he greeted her and smiled. 

“Jennifer, thank you for coming.” She nodded. 

“Of course, you’re my friend. This place is huge!” George nodded looking up at the moss green walls. 

“Do you like it?” Jen nodded. 

“I do, but since when do you have a house outside of Bellwood?” George smiled. 

“Since shortly after your identity was revealed. I thought…” He shook his head. Jen raised an eyebrow turning to him.

“You thought?” 

“I thought that, given the opportunity Bellwood would be a lovely, and lively place to retire, truly retire if I got the chance.” Jen nodded. 

“If I ever retire it’ll be here somewhere outside of town.” George laughed. 

“Maybe here then, it’s left to you in my will.” Jen laughed as though that were funny but George was laughing too as if the man dying was an inside joke between old friends. “There’s a paddock out back, and a stables. A few horses too.” Jen grinned.

“You still ride horses in your old age.” She teased as they headed inside and Kevin lost sight of them. The audio coming from the phone was still working though. 

“That is something even seventeen hundred years can’t change. Perhaps we can race again after we talk business.” The audio crackled as the door closed behind them. Kevin frowned then slapped both hands over his ears as a blaring beep and static came from the phone in his cupholder. He scrambled to shut it off swearing as he did. The cloak did nothing to muffle sound. It was possible that they had heard him when whatever field there was inside that house blocked the signal. He took off down the road as soon as he got the sound shut off. There was no way he was going to risk getting caught. He was all the way back to Bellwood by the time he shut off the cloak and slipped easily into traffic. He let out a shaky breath checking his mirrors. Nothing. He switched it over to infrared just in case she’d gone Big Chill but no, she wasn’t following him. He frowned. 

Seventeen hundred years? How was that possible? Had Jen made an immortal friend when she got tossed back in time? He had so many more questions now than he had gained answers.


	19. Reassurance

Jen frowned letting the curtain drop into place on the window. She’d thought she heard something outside but shook her head as she turned back to George. He offered a bottle of wine, she shook her head. 

“Not really my style, doesn’t do much for me either.” George nodded. 

“Fair, though I recall that being most of what you would drink before.” Jen nodded. 

“Water wasn’t safe back then. I may not be the best history student but I know that much.” George poured himself a glass and stepped over to a small mini bar set into the back of the living room. 

“I have some sodas if you’d prefer, while we speak.” Jen nodded. 

“That’d be great thanks.” He poured a root beer into a glass with some ice. 

“I have had some information on a possible physical manifestation of the Dagon, worshiped by a group called the Flame Keeper’s Circle.” Jen took the glass she offered him and shook her head. 

“Already looked into it. A threat but not the Dagon. An old enemy of mine, Vilgax in a form like one Dagon could use. A giant squid like thing?” George nodded sipping his wine. 

“It’s good that it’s not the Dagon itself. I’ve never heard of this Vilgax.” Jen nodded. 

“You wouldn’t have, he’s intergalactic, a warlord bent on obtaining the He’s a threat but not back at full power since our last fight, I’ve got eyes on him. What about the book?” George pulled it out from under the coffee table. He pressed a hand to the lock and the book fell open. Jen smiled running a finger over the lines as they blossomed. It no longer held the fear it had when she hadn’t known what it was. She’d done some research when she was stuck in the past. The book had reacted as it had to Stardust because she had created it originally. But no more did it place visions of wrath and death that had already occurred. Instead black shimmering lines that had not dimmed with time sprouted under her fingers forming lines of a map. A single glowing red dot appeared. Jen traced the lines of the map and frowned. 

“I don’t recognize it.” George nodded. 

“I do, middle of France. Near a lovely field of lilac.” Jen nodded. 

“Sounds beautiful.” George nodded.

“I hope you get to see it someday but it won’t be there long. I spent many years after you vanished pouring over this book. A pattern emerged after some time, though for the life of me I don’t know how long it took me to find, years that much I know.” Jen nodded slightly. 

“So where will it show up next.” 

“Here, somewhere in California.” Jen nodded. 

“Anything more specific? Cali’s a big state George.” George nodded. 

“I know I was there when it was founded, well I was around. I was actually in Spain.” Jen snorted into her drink.

“One of these days I’m going to sit down with you and get you to tell me your whole life story.” George gestured to a book case behind her.

“I kept up with my journaling.” Jen glanced at the bookshelf it was full of identically bound volumes. She raised an eyebrow. “I got bored and eventually took up book binding as a hobby. It takes up a lot of time, which is something I have in abundance.” Jen laughed lightly into her soda. 

“So we wait?” George nodded slightly. 

“For now that’s all we can do.” Jen shook her head draining her glass. 

“I hate waiting.” He smiled at her. 

“That much I already knew. Let me show you around the house for now. We’ll see about that horse race.” She grinned at him and set down her glass nodding. 

“Sounds like fun.” 

She made her way home hours later grinning widely and smelling like the horse. She was a young mare still a bit wild but willing to run in the miles of fields that came with the house. She hopped into the shower and swapped into pajamas and was running a towel through her hair when her phone rang. She frowned. It was close to two in the morning but she always picked up for family. 

“Gwen?” A shaking breath met her over the phone. “What’s wrong?” Jen asked the towel slipping from her fingers. 

“I’m fine.” Her voice was shaking though. “Just… just a nightmare.” 

“Do you need me to come over?” Jen asked, she wasn’t sure what the answer would be. She knew she could go to Gwen if she needed to, but Gwen didn’t often call her when nightmares happened to her.

“No, I just wanted to check on you. Did I wake you up?” Jen shook her head picking up her towel. 

“Nah, couldn’t sleep. I just got out of the shower.” Gwen nodded sitting on the floor. The burning eyes in her dreams seemed to still watch her from the shadows of her room she couldn’t shake off the feeling. It was worse tonight than it had been in a long time. Visions of a bloody and vicious murder haunted her the culprit under her own skin, the victims laid out before her, Kevin with his armor split open and bloody and Jen in pieces strewn across the ground around her, blood on her own hands. She was still shaking. But talking helped. Kevin was asleep on the bed, a heavy sleeper like she hadn’t seen before. It helped having him breathing nearby but not enough since Jen was absent. But hearing her breathing and speaking was stopping the shakes as Kevin snorted in his sleep. He reached out to where she normally rested and sat up rubbing tired eyes. 

“Gwen?” He asked sleepily. She smiled slightly her hands finally stilling. She heard a muffled laugh over the line. 

“Is that Kevin! Oh you are never living this down!” Gwen snorted lightly. 

“Please, you lost your virginity to Charmcaster.” She hung up to Jen laughing loudly. Kevin sat up and rubbed his eyes again. 

“You ok?” He asked, slurring slightly. Gwen smiled at him crawling into his arms. 

“Just a nightmare, I’m ok.” She pressed her hand to his bare chest right over his heart, feeling it beat against her hand. He kissed her on her cheek, sloppily as he pulled her fully under the covers as though she was the warmest of teddy bears. He buried his head in her hair. She barely heard his next words. 

“Wanna talk about it?” He asked. She smiled. 

“No. I’ll be fine. Just go back to sleep.” He shook his head into her hair. 

“You need me.” She laughed lightly. 

“I really am ok.” She could feel his heart beating under her hand even as he started to nod back off. Jen’s laughter still rang in her ears. For the moment they were safe. She smiled and closed her eyes.


	20. Secrets

A few quiet days put Jen on edge again, Gwen was twitchy too but wouldn’t say why. Kevin seemed more on edge too and kept shooting Jen looks when he thought she wasn’t paying attention. But she spotted him doing it a few times and couldn’t place the look, it wasn’t distrust. But she didn’t have a chance to confront him about it, they got a call from the team Jen had set to watch the Flame Keeper’s Circle. Vilgax was on the move. 

They might have had him too, if the Plumber team had waited for them like they’d been told them to. But they had managed to catch one of the Esoterica. Jen grimaced as Kevin pulled the mask off Squire Winston, the Forever Knight squire who’d been with them when they encountered the Lucubra. 

“Seems like you’ve been moonlighting for another group of bad guys.” Kevin and Gwen flinched back as the squires eyes flooded a sickly glowing mint green. Jen’s eyes narrowed. The squire stumbled and blinked his eyes going back to normal. 

“I need to report to Enoch.” Both girls raised eyebrows as Kevin grabbed the squire by his shirt. 

“You really think we’re gonna let you do that?” Jen yanked Kevin’s hand off the squire. 

“Actually, that’s exactly what we’re going to do. Gwen, go home.” Gwen stared at her cousin as Kevin frowned too. 

“What? No!” 

“That was an order, not a suggestion.” Jen took hold of the squire and took off, using XCLR8’s speed to be gone before either of the others could react. Gwen stared at Kevin who shook his head. 

“I have no idea, she’s been acting weird for a while now.” He paused as if he wanted to say more. Letting out a breath he continued. “Do you know a George? He’s an old man, like really old.” Gwen shook her head. 

“No. Kevin what aren’t you telling me?” Kevin sighed looking after the dust cloud that had been Jen and the squire. 

“Like I said she’s been acting weird for a while, so about a week ago I followed her. She drove out of town to this little farmhouse. She met up with an old guy named George there. I didn’t catch a lot of their conversation but they talked like they’d known each other forever. And he said…” Kevin paused running a hand through his hair. “He said that ‘even seventeen hundred years can’t change some things.’” He looked up at his girlfriend. She looked just as confused as him. She shook her head. 

“That doesn’t make any sense. And if Enoch’s still around we need to find him, preferably before she does! They’ve got a history and it’s not a pleasant one.” Kevin pulled out his Plumber’s badge and keyed in the tracking for the Ultimatrix. 

“I’m sorry which of the Forever Knights do you guys have a pleasant history with?” Gwen rubbed her head. She had a massive headache coming on. 

“Gregory, though he’s not a Knight anymore.” Kevin nodded. 

“Yep retired to an old folks home right, became a librarian.” He laughed slightly and motioned for Gwen to follow him back to the car. When they reached the warehouse Jen had already met up with a metal masked Forever Knight and they were currently staring each other down. The Knight’s weapons were on the ground by Jen’s feet and Winston stood at her side no longer wearing the mask but still dressed as an Esoterica. Jen was holding a dagger in her hand, Enoch’s hand was still open as if she’d just pulled it from his fingers. 

“Let’s not go medieval here, he had no choice, he’s been under control of the Dagon.” She pointed the knife at a Knight behind Enoch. “Your boy Cyrus here found a seal that was holding an age old demon and his men decided the best course of action was to bust it open. Anyone who was in that cave is a possible current servant of the Dagon.” Kevin frowned as Gwen gasped in pain her headache spiking, then everything slipped away in a flash of minty green light. 

Jen’s explanation to the Forever Knights was interrupted when Kevin went flying through several crates. A voice that was almost Gwen’s echoed around the warehouse. 

“Correct. You are such simple creatures, so easy to manipulate.” The voice echoed around as Kevin scrambled to his feet, absorbing the concrete floor of the warehouse. 

“Gwen, you’re starting to scare me a little!” He called out as the redhead stepped out from behind a stack of crates, glowing and floating. Her eyes were flooded a sickly minty green and Winston’s knees buckled as the same light flooded his eyes. But Gwen, or the thing that had been Gwen, paid him no mind. 

“There is a pretender.” It snarled eyes scanning the group and alighting on Jen. They narrowed. “But one among you knows this, and more.” 

“You’re talking about Vilgax.” The still possessed Gwen nodded at her words, neither girl flinching at the sound of swords being drawn. 

“He intends to steal the source of my power, my heart. But you know where it is.” The redhead reached out as if to touch her and Jen vanished, reappearing in a small cloud of dust on the other side of the warehouse having sped away from the others. 

“I know where it was.” 

“Heed me Changeling, if your Vilgax acquires my heart he will have all the power he needs to rule the universe. Return my heart to me!” Jen’s eyes narrowed and she pointed the dagger still in her hand at Gwen. 

“I’ll find your heart and see it destroyed for good this time.” Gwen shrieked in outrage and then collapsed out of the air, the unnatural light fading from her eyes. Kevin caught her as she fell. Jen flipped the dagger in her hand and threw it, it sank into the ground at Enoch’s feet. “Tell George I want to talk to him.” With that she vanished in a swirl of green, like how Gwen sometimes teleported them. Kevin blinked at the knights who were blinking at each other. Enoch stepped forward. 

“How does the child know the truth of the Dagon?” Kevin blinked. 

“I have no idea what you’re even talking about.” Sir Cyrus stepped forward, placing a hand on Enoch’s shoulder. 

“Peace Enoch. They may be able to help us.” Enoch grumbled but sheathed his sword as Kevin brushed Gwen’s hair out of her face. She was only semi-conscious.

“Who is George?” He demanded and Cyrus stepped forward. 

“Are you familiar with the old legends of Sir George and the Dragon? Most cultures have a version of the story but few know the truth. Sir George was a knight, most honorable. He served his king as all Knights should, but defended the people first and foremost.” The knight went on to explain the whole story about the knight sealing the Dagon. Winston piped up. 

“Sir that’s not the whole story. There was a girl.” 

“Rumors changing a story through the centuries.” Cyrus snapped, Kevin frowned. 

“This would have happened what seventeen hundred years ago?” Sir Cyrus frowned as Kevin helped Gwen to her feet. She was back to her senses and looked more than a bit freaked out. 

“How do you know that?” Kevin frowned. 

“Call it a hunch. Where’s George now?” Gwen frowned at him he shook his head. He had a feeling Jen knew a whole lot more than she’d told them. She nodded slightly as Cyrus spoke again. 

“He had been missing for centuries, but reappeared to us barely a month ago. He told us it was time to enact our true duty, to protect the world from the threat he founded our order to defeat. Sir Driscoll took that to mean we were to purge the aliens from Earth, but he was wrong. George disappeared several days ago leaving only runes in his chamber as a clue to where he had gone.” Gwen nodded at the knight. 

“Maybe we can help, I’m good at Runes. And I think my cousin may have gone after this George, so for now I say we call a truce.” Enoch scoffed but was silenced by a look. 

“You are already dangerously close to being banished from the Order Enoch. Do not make things worse for yourself.” Cyrus barked at him and turned back to Gwen and Kevin. “I agree, a truce then. Follow us we will take you to the runes Sir George left behind.” Gwen nodded taking Kevin’s hand and practically dragging him from the warehouse. When they were in his car again she curled up in the seat and refused to speak as they followed the convoy of Forever Knights. 

“She knew.” She finally whispered as they passed outside of city limits. Kevin frowned. 

“You think she knew that the Dagon could do that to you?” He couldn’t wrap his head around that. If Jen had known something was wrong she would have done something. But she had tried. 

“She’s been pulling away from me ever since the Lucubra. When she found out Winston was for sure being controlled she told me to go home. I should have listened.” Kevin reached out to take her hand and she shied away slightly. 

“Gwen, if anyone understands what it’s like to not be in control of your own actions its me. Let me help, please.” She stared at him for a moment as he kept driving one handed, the other still within reach. She took it and squeezed gently. 

The ‘runes’ left behind by the knight turned out to be exceedingly complex calculus using several sets of latitude and longitude as points to triangulate a new location. But the moment Gwen had finished deciphering the location the Knights turned on them, shooting both of them before either could act and leaving them behind to join their founder in his fight. Gwen managed to heal them both as they made their way back to the car. 

“We need to go after the heart. If Vilgax gets it first we’re fucked.” Kevin nodded at her words, putting his foot down as he sped to the Plumber airstrip. Gwen was desperately trying to get ahold of Jen whom they hadn’t seen since she vanished from the warehouse. She let out a frustrated noise as she threw down her phone and Plumber badge. 

“It’s no use she’s not answering!” 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Two figures stood in the deserted state park, it was late, nearing midnight. They made for an odd pair on the trail an old man in a button up and slacks, a pack on his shoulders. The second figure was covered head to tow in a green cloak, the symbol of the Forever Knights on the back. George frowned at the figure. 

“I do not understand why you insist on coming cloaked and disguised.” 

“Call it a hunch that we’ll have company that won’t exactly be pleased I’m here.” They reached the top of a ridge and footsteps sounded behind them from a separate path that met up with theirs. George turned and frowned. 

“How did you know where I would be?” He asked as his Knights led by Sir Cyrus and Enoch bowed. The figure next to George stiffened and lunged at the smallest figure in the group prompting the others to go for weapons but Winston stepped out of existence before they could act. The woman swore, her hood falling. Cyrus blinked. He’d seen the tapestry before, The Defeat Of The Dagon, it was said to be a representation of the moment the Knights had been founded or at least the battle that had inspired their founding. It was as if she had stepped from the weave. Her hair fell to her shoulders, she towered at six feet and her eyes were flooded a deep forest green, her features chiseled as though by an otherworldly sculptor, her face all sharp angles with no soft lines to be found. 

“He’ll go to the Esoterica, we need to hurry. Expect an ambush.” George nodded. Enoch stood and pointed his blade at the woman. 

“Who are you to give orders to the first Forever Knight!” George’s eyes narrowed. 

“Lower your weapon or lose your arm Enoch.” The knight complied immediately. “She is a very old friend of mine, it was she who sealed the Dagon after I cut out its heart. We must retrieve Ascalon now!” The two headed the charge towards the faint outline of the temple.


	21. Who Wins

They raced into the temple, it seemed that over the years the Esoterica had been waiting for the Dagon’s return. The walls were lined with the suits they wore. How they had found the temple was anyone’s guess and didn’t really matter right now. Right now what mattered is that they seemed to have used their powers to bend physics to arrive before them. The tank containing Vilgax was already here and between them and the sword that stood in the Dagon’s heart on a dais in the center of the room.

The mysterious woman in green moved first leaping over the first wave of Esoterica and throwing a wave of fire from her bare hands. The Esoterica scattered vanishing into thin air as the creature in the tank roared and bashed tentacles into the glass shattering it. 

“I will not be kept from my power! Kill them all!” He roared and the battle began. Swords clashed with the yellow electricity the Esoterica wielded. Conduit Edwards took it upon himself to engage the woman who’d already proved more powerful than the others. Only George remained free of the combat as the squid-like creature yanked itself across the floor towards the heart. But he should not have underestimated this weak looking being as it snagged him around the ankle and threw him hard into a wall. 

“George!” The woman turned and Conduit took his chance drawing on the powers granted him as one of the Esoterica he summoned a blade of pure energy and drove it forward. It was supposed to slam into the woman’s heart but it didn’t sink into skin like it should have. Instead with a sound like a shoe being pulled from a deep puddle of mud the blade sank in without seeming to do any damage whatsoever. Instead of blood purple mud rimmed the edge of the would be wound. She turned, well not quite. Her whole head rotated as did her arms and Conduit went flying as she smacked him back, taking advantage of his shock. She managed to sort herself out as George began to pull himself to his feet. 

“Get the sword!” He called out and she leapt forward but too late. Vilgax wrapped a tentacle around the hilt and red lightning flew from his eyes as bright lights filled the temple. When the light dimmed enough for them to see he was standing tall covered in armor holding the sword. Conduit pulled himself to his feet and blinked, horror crossing his face. 

“Imposter!” He leapt at Vilgax screaming a challenge as the woman leapt towards him too. He reached out a hand and a blast of power sprang forth leaving Conduit crumpled at the base of a column. At the woman he swung the sword in an arc. A whirlwind sprang from nowhere sending her flying into a wall with what should have been a crunch, but instead a splat sounded as the woman hit, dissolving into purple mud that shuddered before pulling itself into something vaguely human shaped and tried to stand. But green lights flashed and a soft groan rang from the unconscious form of Jennifer Tennyson. Vilgax cackled. 

“I have never felt so powerful! I could kill you without even touching you Tennyson!” He leveled the sword at her but he paused as a voice rumbled around him. 

“There is much more power to be had. Break the seal and you will have all the power you wish, you’ll even be able to take the power from her that you crave. Your every wish will be granted.” Vilgax looked over the heart and smiled wickedly. 

“Deal!” 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Gwen was trying to focus but something was cutting in. She was terrified it might be the Dagon but no this was familiar, warm, not the cool minty green of the Dagon, but the warm toxic green of a very familiar altered mana signature. She blinked, Jen was reaching out across the Mana field. Images flooded her mind. Jen and an old man racing along the tunnel towards the seal. 

‘Vilgax has the heart!’ The words echoed loudly in her mind, the volume a sign of urgency and lack of control more than anything else. 

“Kevin! Pull over!” The wheels on the car squealed as he yanked the car over to the side of the road. 

“What’s wrong?” Gwen took his hand. 

“We’re going the wrong way! Jen… She’s with the Knights Vilgax already has the heart. They’re heading for the seal.” Kevin swore. 

“We’re hours from the seal.” 

“Not if I teleport us.” Kevin shook his head. 

“You can’t, you can barely pull that trick off when you’re at full power but you’re still sick from what happened at that warehouse.” Gwen nodded. 

“If we had a choice then I wouldn’t do this.” She took his hands and focused. They vanished from the car and reappeared in the cavern. Gwen cried out in rage as she spotted Jen on the ground next to the old man George. She was bleeding from a slash to her cheek and a bruise was already forming on her face. George was trying to pull himself up but Vilgax was beating on the seal with Ascalon. Kevin snatched up a helmet and absorbed the metal throwing himself at Vilgax to try and stop him breaking the seal. He was tossed aside like a piece of trash. Vilgax laughed in triumph as light bloomed. Then he screamed as it grew brighter. Jen started awake to the sound of a sword clattering to the rocks. Pink lights faded around her as she shot to her feet, rubbing her aching head. Summoning Artemis’s power she healed herself as George made his way to the seal. 

“Where’s Vilgax?” She asked the cavern in general hoping someone would have an explanation. 

“Through the crack, that means we won though right?” Kevin said pulling himself up and helping Gwen to her feet as Jen swore loudly. 

“No, that means the Dagon has his heart back.” She said angrily. George stepped to the seal and picked up Ascalon. Lights bloomed again, this time though they were warmer and when they died down George stood before them, young again, mid twenties at the oldest and covered in armor. 

“Let him come, we will be ready!”


	22. In The Stars

If someone was asked to describe Rook Blonko the first word to come to mind was almost always patient. He had spent the past few years at the Plumber Academy, rising quickly through the ranks and excelling in his studies. But then the Vreedle brothers had snapped after a failed test and decided to blow up the entire academy. Luckily by some miracle no one had been harmed, but the Academy itself had been destroyed forcing the current graduating cadets to finish their courses in a Plumber way station. Scout didn’t seem too bothered by this he was still deciding where he wanted to be stationed. He frowned over a star chart on his data pad. 

“I think I figured it out!” The Loboan exclaimed a smile on his face. Rook looked up from his own paperwork.

“What have you figured out?” He asked raising an eyebrow. 

“I’m going back to Anur Transyl.” Rook blinked at that. 

“Why? It took a great deal of effort to get off Anur Transyl, why go back?” Scout scratched behind his ear and shrugged. 

“Because they need me. There’s not a whole lot of law in the Anur System since the Vladats went extinct. And they weren’t the best law to begin with. I can help my people, just like Jen Ten did! Earth’s going to Open system next month, there’s already a colony under her town. Maybe I can at least start something similar for the Anur System.” Rook smiled at his roommate. 

“That is an honorable mission my friend.” Scout grinned his tail wagging behind him. 

“What about you, where will you go?” Rook took a deep breath. The good thing about being a Rookie Plumber was that, within reason, they got to pick their first station. It wasn’t always the one they got but the Plumbers did their best to honor those requests. 

“I will return to Revonnah.” It was Scout’s turn to frown. 

“Thought they didn’t approve of your career choice?” He asked lightly. Rook nodded. 

“My father wishes me to stay on Revonnah and farm the fields my family has worked for generations. My people are very traditional, he will expect me home for my seventeenth birthday.” Scout shook his head. 

“You’re not giving up being a Plumber are you? You love this job!” Rook smiled. 

“Fear not my friend, I do not know if I intend to stay on Revonnah, but there is a tradition I wish to participate in that Revonnahganders of seventeen years may do.” Scout raised an eyebrow. 

“Is this something I can know about or is it like a closely guarded secret?” Rook shook his head. 

“You are one of my closest friends, I have no secrets from you. It is a traditional trial that those who come of age, at seventeen once they have lost their bi'nthak and learned the ways of adult Revonnahgander, may choose to take. Some chose not to.” Scout frowned. 

“I thought you guys were all about tradition why would someone chose not to participate?” Rook set down his data pad. 

“Because it is a tradition that can change someone forever. On my world we have a concept we call Amar, it does not translate well as there is more to the word than a single word can encompass. But I suppose the easiest way to describe it is mated souls, created to balance each other. Two souls meant to find each other for the harmony of both.” Scout nodded. 

“We have something similar, we call them Mates!” Rook grinned and nodded. 

“Exactly. The trial is meant to assist one in finding their Amar. Many chose not to participate because they believe they already have found their Amar. They do not wish to be proven wrong as many have been.” Scout nodded.

“So, you don’t think the girl you left behind is the One then?” Rook frowned at his friend’s question. “Your Amar I mean.” Rook shook his head. 

“Rayona is lovely, and it is a match our parents approve. But I cannot help but feel that my destiny lies somewhere beyond Revonnah.” Scout nodded as Rook picked up the data pad again. 

“So what happens during this trial?” Rook shook his head. 

“That I do not know, only what happens after. If the signs point to Rayona being my Amar I will propose when I return from the mountain where the trial takes place. If they do not, then I must apologize to her and take steps to find my Amar, my harmony, for my own peace of mind if nothing else. Some who take the trial never find them, but I have hope.” Scout grinned. 

“I hope you do find them, your harmony. It sounds like a really good thing to have. But what if she’s not on Revonnah? The universe is a big place Rook.” He nodded. 

“I know. I will pursue my career as a Plumber and search as I go, I can only hope my Amar appears to me someday. What was the saying we learned in Earth studies? Ah yes. All good things to those who wait.” Scout laughed at his friend as they finished up their paperwork. 

Within the week Rook was back on Revonnah, his family was overjoyed to see him, though his father kept sending disapproving looks at the things he’d brought with him and scoffed when he learned that Rook would not be returning home fully, since he would be living at the small Plumber base. The celebration of his seventeenth birthday was lovely and as night began to fall he bowed to his parents. 

“I have chosen to take the mountain’s trial to guide me to my Amar.” His father raised his eyebrows but looked pleased that his son would not be abandoning tradition all together. He nodded. 

“Go forth my son, the trial awaits you.” It was the traditional farewell for this trial. His mother took down a bow and quiver from their place on the wall along with a spear. 

“May the stars guide you to harmony.” She said handing him the weapons. They were more of a traditional gesture then for true protection, the Muroids went after the fields not the people of Revonnah, though some who went on this journey stayed gone for days attempting to reconcile the signs they were given. He knew what he had to do next as he nodded to his siblings. They nodded back, Rook Shar had one hand on Young One’s shoulder holding him back from either following Blonko or asking the million questions on his tongue. He hadn’t lost his bi’nthak yet and as such had no knowledge of this tradition. Rook headed to the temple of Revonnah Kai where he was met by Master Kundo who narrowed his eyes at him but ever bound by tradition nodded and silently led him to the path at the base of the sacred mountain several miles outside of the small town. 

“May harmony find you.” He managed to almost not sound bitter as he stepped aside so Rook could enter the pathway. The forest here was dense, but Rook had training for many a different kind of terrain thanks to the Plumbers and reached the top of the mountain without difficulty. A small cave entrance sat there, steam billowing out of it. Rook set down his weapons, no weapon was to ever enter this sacred place. He also took off his shoes, he’d always been told that was part of the trial as well. He was glad for the first time since removing it to be without his Plumber issued armor. It was warm in the cave and his armor would have put him at a disadvantage. The loose robes that were traditional for his people were much cooler. It was also dark and he almost wished for his flashlight, back at Plumber base. But he shook his head and headed down the tunnel. It was going down, quite steeply. This was where all the stories he’d been told left off. No one spoke of what was in this sacred place just the steaming entrance. He knew by that description that he had the right place as he began to sweat, he could not imagine what waited for him at the end. 

Eventually he emerged in a cave that had to take up most of the mountain. It was so large he couldn’t see the top. His excellent night vision did nearly nothing to help him in the near blackness of the cavern. It was only when his bare feet met a pool of liquid that he paused. The liquid rippled and shimmered like silver despite the lack of light. Steam plumed in greater mass and Rook tensed slightly as a voice echoed around the cavern. 

‘You have come seeking knowledge.’ It wasn’t a question, but the voice was not threatening though he could still not find out the source of it. It was wispy and ethereal as if not of this world. ‘Step into the water Rook Blonko. See what you wish to see.’ He did not feel any fear as he stepped into the water which was still shimmering silver. On instinct he laid back in the water once he was out far enough. He couldn’t tell how deep the water went but still he felt no fear as he stared up into the steam. After a moment he blinked. The steam was forming into shapes that raced around and vanished before he could make any sense of them. The voice echoed around him again.

‘You search for your harmony, but you will not find it here. Your harmony is a very long way away.’ Stars spun in the steam but vanished too quickly for him to identify patterns. ‘A warrior of great merit. She defends the stars, as you will too. A lonely one among thousands. Your balance is among the stars Rook Blonko, find her. You will need each other.’ The voice faded, the images in the steam disappeared leaving Rook blinking at the edge of the pool of water. More questions than answers flooded his mind as he pulled himself out of the water and shook off the sparkling drops. But he had one answer, his destiny, his harmony did not rest here on Revonnah. He made his way slowly out of the cave and took his time pulling his shoes on. He picked up the weapons carefully. He took his time heading back down the mountain. It was nearing dawn as he made it back to town, still damp from the pool. His family was still awake, all but Young One who slept with his head in Rook Shar’s lap. Rayona was there too and he felt his heart twist slightly, he liked her but it wasn’t love and if she was not his then she had her own harmony to find and he would not keep her from that. 

He knelt before her laying his weapons before her. She closed her eyes, disappointment written on her face. This was not how Revonnahganders proposed, quite the opposite. He bowed his head. 

“I must offer my humblest apologies. I am not your harmony and will not keep you from finding them, as I hope you will not hold me back from mine.” Rayona swallowed her tears and nodded, taking his hands and pulling him to his feet. 

“I will not keep you from harmony, may it find you someday soon.” 

“May harmony find you as well.” She dropped his hands and turned away, walking with grace back to her family home. The trail was over. He could tell no one exactly what he had seen, but if he chose to he could share hints at the signs he’d seen, but finding his Amar was up to him. His father looked almost resigned but Rook Shar had the curious light in her eyes that he often saw in the mirror. It was no surprise when she knocked on his door later that day. 

“Shar.” 

“Blonko, I know you cannot tell me exactly what happened but will you tell me something?” Rook Blonko nodded. 

“Within the next few months I will be transferring to a new Plumber base.” Shar stared at him. 

“Why! You have just returned home and now you are leaving again! Is it because Rayona is no longer speaking to you? I do not believe that is a reason to flee the planet!” Rook Blonko shook his head. 

“No Shar. My harmony is elsewhere, not on Revonnah.” Shar blinked. The implication of this was staggering. Revonnah did not have colonies like over planets, there were no Revonnahganders off planet. If this was true Rook Blonko’s Amar was not of their species. 

“Do you have hope you will find them?” Shar asked her voice small. She’d never had a lot of interest in the subject of Amar’s, she was much more interested in the minutia of becoming a Plumber, much to the chagrin of their father. 

“I will always have hope sister.” She smiled and hugged him. 

“Then you must go out into the stars and find your harmony brother.” He hugged her back and nodded.


	23. Explanations

Jen pulled herself to her feet and brushed the dirt off her jeans. The knights were stirring around the room. Cyrus looked absolutely livid that the girl who’d been helping them try to beat Vilgax to the sword was one of their sworn enemies. 

“You are at fault here girl!” George leveled Ascalon at Cyrus. 

“Hold your tongue Sir Cyrus! Not all was told in the tales passed down to my knights, Knights who have forgotten their true purpose.” Cyrus bowed his head as Kevin stepped over to Gwen helping her to her feet. He looked around the room. 

“I am still very confused as to what the fuck is happening here.” Jen nodded at him. 

“We shouldn’t talk about it here.” She said glancing at the seal. It was cracked much further than it had been but it was not fully broken yet. George nodded and lifted a hand. In a flash of warm light they vanished and reappeared in a large room. A round table sat in the center but it had clearly been moved into the room as none of the décor around it matched the medieval feel. In fact it was all pretty advanced technology. Jen shook her head. 

“You really did borrow area fifty one didn’t you.” Kevin looked at her incredulously, that had been a while back and she hadn’t made a peep about it since it happened.” George nodded. 

“As I said, I have every intention of giving it back when all of this is over.” He motioned for her to sit as he took the chair with the Forever Knight symbol carved into it. Jen snorted slightly as she took the seat next to him. Kevin frowned but sat Gwen down next to Jen and took the seat next to the redhead. The redhead was a bit shaky from the teleportation but she was still conscious and considering the power she’d protected them from in the cavern. 

“I must protest!” Enoch said pulling himself up on the table and glaring at Jen. “She has no place at this table!” George raised an eyebrow. 

“How so, she was at this table long before you. She fought the Dagon with me when it first appeared. She defends Earth as was our original goal! You have forgotten that Earth is not just humanity! It is all the peaceful beings who live here!” Jen smiled slightly at George’s words and the Knights sat down around the table looking chastised. 

“We should focus though George. The Dagon has its heart back, what do we do now?” George nodded holding up a stone. It was nearly cracked through. 

“We muster our forces, we prepare for the war. We wait.” Jen rolled her eyes. 

“I hate waiting.” George laughed.

“I am aware. But I feel you have many things to explain to your friends. Kee a close eye on your cousin.” Jen nodded. 

“A few of Sir Cyrus’s men were taken by the Lucubra they need to be found as well, see if this time we can figure out how to break the connection. I’ll work on it on my end. Keep in touch.” George nodded and waved a hand at them. The three of them vanished in a flash of light and when Kevin opened his eyes they were sitting in Jen’s car outside her house. “Where’d you leave your car Kevin?” It took him a minute to process the question. He gave her directions and she pulled her car out of the spot in front of her house. They drove in silence for a while, Jen glancing into the back seat. 

“You have questions?” She asked. Kevin and Gwen nodded in unison. 

“I’m not sure where to start.” Kevin admitted. 

“You pulled away because you knew it could still get in my head.” Jen glanced in the rearview mirror again. She nodded. 

“Yes. Breaking the Dagon’s hold on someone is exceedingly difficult while the Dagon has a presence in the world, any presence. George says that after it was sealed the spells broke but I don’t know how it works with the seal nearly broken. I didn’t want to risk you.” Gwen nodded looking down at her hands. Kevin frowned. 

“Ok I get that, especially after what happened back in that warehouse but who the hell is George really.” Jen sighed. 

“A long story that I really don’t know all of. He was born in Rome, literally during the golden age of Rome. He’s immortal, I guess, I don’t know why. I don’t think he knows why. He was in England in the eleventh century when the Dagon showed up. Azmuth, who’s way older than I thought he was, made Ascalon. I don’t know if he gave it to George to defeat the Dagon, or if it was some kind of test. I’ll never understand Azmuth.” Gwen frowned. 

“So the sword’s not magic?” Jen shrugged. 

“Don’t know, possibly. He hasn’t told me much about it. All I know is what I saw while I was in the past. It’s incredibly powerful. It can do a lot of things, I doubt I saw all of it.” She shook her head. “I didn’t want to tell you any of this because I didn’t want to risk the Dagon seeing it through you. I still don’t know if it’s safe.” Gwen nodded. 

“What about breaking the connection? Anyone we know who might be able to do that?” Kevin asked as they pulled up to his car still parked where they had teleported away from it. 

“I don’t know.” Jen said. Gwen sat forward. 

“Charmcaster. She might be able to help. Could you get ahold of her?” Jen nodded. 

“Why didn’t I think of that? I’ll call her as soon as I get home. You two should get some sleep.” Gwen nodded and exited the car. Kevin frowned. 

“Were you planning on telling me?” Jen shrugged. 

“I don’t know. You and Gwen are so close I didn’t want you to pull away from her too.” Kevin put a hand on Jen’s shoulder. 

“I will never pull away from your cousin. If I ever abandon your cousin, it’ll be kicking and screaming the whole way.” Jen smiled lightly as he got out of the car and into his own car. The two of them drove off, Jen following behind them. She stopped at Mr. Smoothie and got a few smoothies, it had been a long time since she’d been and she was in need of something to numb her brain for a while. It probably wasn’t the healthiest way, drinking ice cold smoothies until she got brain freeze to distract from her problems, but there were worse ways and at this point she was just glad she hadn’t resorted to them yet as she carried her smoothies into her room and fished the mirror out of her night stand. She sighed as she flipped it open and drew the rune to call Charmcaster. The mirror lit up as it was supposed to but after about five minutes it went dark again. Jen frowned. 

“Is she ignoring me?” She wondered aloud as she tried again with the same result. She shook her head and set the mirror on the bedside table. “The breakup was mutual. We weren’t even really dating why would she be ignoring me?” She yawned and set her phone up on her charger before she drifted off. It had been a long day and she was still sore and very tired from all the power she’d used. Master Control gave her access to all her aliens and she’d used that to her advantage today but they had still lost. She wouldn’t lose again, she promised herself that as she drifted out of the waking world into mercifully peaceful dreams.


	24. Inspection

Having Gwen insist that they meet up with Julie wasn’t how Jen wanted to spend her day, though using XCLR8’s speed to beat her at tennis was fun she hadn’t fully forgiven Julie for faking a hostage situation with Conduit Edwards. The Technodon ship that landed was even less pleasant. Inspector Thirteen didn’t know what he was getting into when he took Jen captive though. She used Upgrade’s powers to turn his own ship against him even before Gwen and Kevin arrived to help. She was already beating on the weapon master when they teleported in. Kevin blinked. 

“Thought you might need help.” He stated steadying Gwen, teleportation was still pretty hard on her though with repetition it seemed to be getting easier. 

“Not really. I appreciate it though.” She turned back to the weapon master. “Now as I was saying, the Ultimatrix is not a weapon. You will not be getting it off me. If you’re smart you’ll realize that if you don’t give up I will tear your ship apart before it can rebuild itself and turn you over to the Plumbers for attempted mutilation.” The weapon master nodded slightly before slumping to the ground unconscious. Jen nodded. She placed a hand on the console and shifted into Upgrade opening the hatch at the bottom of the ship. She leapt back out of the computer console and out the hatch transforming as she went into Big Chill.

“You guys coming?” She asked. Gwen shook her head a smile on her face as she conjured a platform and she and Kevin stepped aboard. They left the Technodon ship behind as it flew off. Kevin frowned. 

“Why is it heading downtown?” Big Chill smiled. 

“I programed it to pick up the Technodon factory they left in the middle of town, since nothing else can move it.” Gwen nodded and the three of them made their way down towards the ground. 

“Did you manage to get ahold of Charmcaster?” Big Chill frowned. 

“Not yet. It’s a bit concerning. She just isn’t answering.” Gwen frowned at her cousin. 

“And we don’t have the name to open the Doors To Anywhere anymore.” Gwen said as they landed. Jen transformed back to normal and rubbed the back of her neck as Julie made her way up to them. 

“That’s not entirely true.” Kevin raised an eyebrow. 

“She essentially gave you a key to Ledgerdomain so you two could keep hooking up?” He was holding back laughter. 

“Maybe. How do you think I made it there last time!” Kevin snorted at the blush dusting her cheeks. 

“Why didn’t you tell me!” Gwen demanded. “That was way before all this Dagon stuff happened.” Jen shrugged. 

“She asked me not to.” Julie frowned. 

“Um what’s going on?” She was still a bit nervous, stepping on eggshells around her friend after what she’d done with the Flame Keeper’s Circle. Jen shrugged. 

“Work stuff.” She left it at that but Kevin seemed to be feeling more ready to forgive Julie. 

“We’re talking about Jen’s booty call.” Julie’s eyes went wide. Jen smacked Kevin in the shoulder. 

“She’s not a booty call! She’s a friend.” Kevin laughed and bounced his eyebrows as Gwen spotted the Technodon factory taking off from downtown and up through the atmosphere. Gwen frowned. 

“You’re sure it’ll still work?” Jen shrugged. 

“It should, unless she changed the name again. I mean she has the Alpha Rune. She could.” Gwen nodded.

“Meet me tonight at the runway, we’ll head to the doors. I have an errand I need to run.” Jen nodded and paused as Julie smiled awkwardly. 

“Smoothies are on you this time.” The brunette stated and Julie grinned. 

“Deal!” 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Breaking into Hex’s library was surprisingly easy, Gwen had been doing it for a while, borrowing books as she needed them. She should have known she would get caught eventually. But when Hex learned that his niece was ruling Ledgerdomain, with the power of the Alpha Rune he released her. 

“You do not know what my niece is truly capable of. My niece has studied long and hard with one purpose in mind. She intends to resurrect my brother, her father.” Gwen shook her head, pulling off her Lucky Girl mask, she always wore the disguise when raiding Hex’s library it seemed appropriate. 

“She can’t, magic like that is the darkest kind!” Hex nodded. 

“Indeed. I have advised against it for years but I don’t think she ever listened to me. If she is ruling Ledgerdomain she can do as she pleases.” Gwen shook her head again trying to wrap her head around this. Hex looked down brushing his hood off his head. He was younger than he should have been, maybe in his early twenties but he’d had a prolonged encounter with the Fountain of Youth years ago so it made sense that he wasn’t aging like a normal man. “Take whichever book you need. But this may be of the most help to you now.” He lifted a hand, a book sailing into it. He let it fall open. Pink runes bloomed on the page. “The name of Ledgerdomain has changed.” Gwen nodded tracing the runes. 

Gwen made her way to the airfield that evening with the book and her computer in tow. She hoped that Hex was wrong, that the girl that Jen had trusted enough to share something deep and intimate with wasn’t the kind of girl who could make a deal that would require death for life. But Gwen wasn’t sure if that would be the case or not. She was also hoping that if nothing was wrong in Ledgerdomain the sorceress would be able to help her break the connection between herself and the Dagon. It would be nice to know that she couldn’t be controlled like a puppet anymore. 

Jen was silent as Kevin flew the Rustbucket Three to the Doors. She was fiddling with the mirror Charmcaster had given her. She kept running her finger over the glass in the pattern of the Rune that would call Charmcaster but the mirror just lit up no response. Kevin frowned. 

“Will you quit lighting that thing up?” Jen snapped the mirror shut and frowned. 

“Sorry.” Kevin shook his head. 

“Did it occur to you that maybe she just doesn’t want to talk to you. I mean you did break up.” Jen frowned. 

“The thought crossed my mind but the breakup was mutual and she’s… Ok she can be that petty but I genuinely don’t believe she would ignore me like this.” Kevin glanced over at Jen. 

“You know it’s comforting that even after everything we’ve been through you’re a bit of an optimist.” Jen rolled her eyes flipping him off as Gwen snorted from behind her computer.


	25. Accursed

Jen frowned at the Doors To Anywhere repeating the word Charmcaster had given her to access Ledgerdomain. Still nothing. Gwen nodded. 

“I was afraid of that. The name’s changing.” She held out a book that Jen didn’t recognize. “I may be able to figure it out though.” Kevin frowned. 

“She changed the keys.” Jen kicked him in the shin, holding back from using Humungousaur’s power to do it, but only just. He howled in pain and hopped around as Jen turned to Gwen. 

“How are you going to figure it out?” 

“I wrote a spell that works with a computer algorithm to work out the name before it even changes.” Jen nodded grinning. 

“Ah my super genius magical cousin.” Jen leaned on the edge of the doors as Gwen worked. It didn’t take her too long to work out the new name and reopen the doors but both girls could sense that something was wrong when they stepped into the domain of Magic. It took Jen a minute to adjust, she hadn’t had Master Control last time she was here and it really did make a difference being able to call on Stardust’s powers in an instant without using the watch. Here it made her feel like how she used to feel when she still had all her transformations. She shook her head. The last thing she needed to do right now was reminisce about Feedback. They had work to do. But it seemed they had arrived in Ledgerdomain at a touchy time. From what they learned from the rock golem Ignatius, Ledgerdomain was in the middle of a vicious civil war. 

Addwaitya, though much less powerful, had resurfaced and had re-enslaved a number of beings. He was attempting to gather enough power to face Charmcaster directly, who was leading the fight against him. He was building a device not too far from where the Doors had deposited them and guarded it against Charmcaster and her forces. 

“But he won’t be expecting us. We could take out the machine, weaken Addwaitya even more, then meet up with Charmcaster.” Jen stated nodding as though that was that. Kevin nodded too. 

“She has a point, help end the civil war and your ex might be more inclined to talk to you.” Jen kicked him again. 

“Drop it.” He laughed rubbing his bruised shin. 

“Addwaitya wouldn’t expect us.” Gwen hesitated, she turned to Ignatius. “Can you lead us there? Just close enough to see it.” He nodded. 

“You must be cautious, Addwaitya is mighty even without the Alpha Rune.” They nodded and the rock golem led them off. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Charmcaster fiddled with the mirror in her pocket. It had been lighting up steadily over the past few days. But she couldn’t help Jen now and didn’t want to drag her into the madness Addwaitya was causing. Tiber nodded to her. 

“We’re ready you highness.” Charmcaster nodded. 

“Then let us attack and put an end to Addwaitya once and for all.”

The silver haired enchantress had been expecting resistance, fighting those under Addwaitya’s control. But she hadn’t expected someone to already be there fighting Addwaitya himself. Several someone’s actually, though Gwen stood alone against the turtle creature. Kevin was fighting his underlings and Jen… Charmcaster scanned the battlefield, she had to be here. If Gwen was here so was Jen. There! She spotted her in one of her alien forms stepping into the beam of light the machine was generating. 

“No!” But it was too late. The beam chipped away at the pink and black crystal that made up this form and a blood curdling scream echoed through the air as Jen tilted forward a green ball of mana joining the other stolen mana in the machine as her now empty body free fell. Charmcaster shouted out a spell and a large pink flower bloomed from the stone catching the limp brunette as Kevin shoved Gwen out of the way of a spell hurled at her by Addwaitya. Charmcaster couldn’t bring herself to care as she teleported to the flower she’d conjured, even as Kevin’s mana joined the other stolen life forces. The flower opened and Charmcaster flipped Jen over, hoping against hope that it had just been that one alien form that had been taken, that she would sit up and say something witty. But no, her normally shining green eyes were dull and lifeless. 

Addwaitya laughed as Gwen snarled, her skin darkening to purple her hair and eyes glowing brightly. Charmcaster looked up just in time to see Gwen fall to Addwaitya as well. She gripped the Alpha Rune in her hand and chanted pointing her free hand at the turtle who began to scream as his skin turned to stone, flaking and a small totem fell to the stone of Ledgerdomain. But the spell had already been cast. A great seam opened in the pink sky, white light shining down on her. A deep voice rumbled through her mind. 

‘We see your most desperate desire and take the offered payment!’ Charmcaster shook her head as the lights from the machine flew up into the crack, she easily spotted the one green streak amid the pink and felt a sob building. A single orb of Mana flew from the crack and resolved into a man she hadn’t seen in so long. Tears spilled down her face. 

“Dad?” He turned and opened his arms. She ran into them, leaving behind the limp form of her friend and former lover. 

“Hope! You’ve grown! But how did this happen?” She shook her head. 

“Addwaitya. He…” She hiccupped. “He was using the life force of people of Ledgerdomain. I don’t know what he wanted but he opened the portal to the Old Ones and they brought you back.” She paused turning to the bodies strewn over the battlefield. “But it shouldn’t be like this.” Her father nodded placing his hand on her shoulder. 

“You’ve grown into a beautiful young woman. And you’re right it shouldn’t be like this. I love you Hope.” She turned and he kissed her on her forehead. Then he took flight, morphing back into an orb of pure mana. The voices rumbled in her mind again. 

‘The bargain is rejected, the payment must be returned.’ The lights flooded back out of the crack. All around the battlefield people, and the magical creatures of Ledgerdomain were sitting up. A green light flitted past Charmcaster and sank back into Jen who gasped in a deep breath as Kevin pulled himself to his feet rushing to Gwen as a bright light sunk through her skin too. He blinked as she sat up. 

“Did we just die?” His question was quiet. No one answered it either as Charmcaster pulled Jen to her feet. 

“You weren’t supposed to be here! I didn’t want you to get mixed up in this, that’s why I didn’t answer your calls.” Jen grinned slightly as Charmcaster released her and stooped picking up a small turtle statue. She slipped it into her bag without looking at it and turned back to Jen. 

“We need your help, well you might be able to help us anyway. I don’t know.” Charmcaster nodded, glad that the green eyes looking up at her were no longer glassy and empty. 

“I’ll see what I can do.”


	26. Sirens Song

Charmcaster sent them home so she could deal with the aftermath of the battle. The only advice she could give them as to Gwen’s predicament was that since the connection wasn’t direct through skin contact that a metal helmet would likely keep the power from reaching her mind. They had laughed but she’d been serious. She grinned as she bid them farewell at the door. 

“Maybe you should wear one too Jen. Wouldn’t want anything getting into that pretty little head of yours.” The silver haired enchantress winked at Jen who grinned. 

“You know you can call anytime.” 

“Oh I will.” They grinned at each other as Jen stepped over the threshold of Ledgerdomain, back to Earth. Kevin smirked as the doors closed. 

“She’s so not over you.” He stated as they blinked around them. They weren’t on the shores of the spit of land just off the coast of Indonesia. Instead they were in the park in the middle of Bellwood. 

“Did we know the doors move?” Jen asked as Kevin called his car. Gwen shook her head. 

“No, I mean it sort of makes sense. Any magical portal can be summoned, in theory anyway.” Jen’s phone started to buzz and she pulled it out frowning at the caller ID. 

“Ken?” She answered the call, Gwen looked pretty confused as to why her brother was calling Jen, they weren’t nearly as close as she and Jen were. “Hey Ken what’s up? No way! Hell yeah! Actually do you think you could swing four, there’s a friend who desperately needs to get out of medical for a few hours. You’re the best Ken! Yeah we’ll see you then.” Jen hung up the phone.

“Why didn’t you tell me Ken quit school and is running around New York with his band?” Gwen let out a laugh. 

“With everything that’s been going on I honestly just forgot.” Jen laughed Kevin stared between the two of them. 

“Wait, Mr. Awesomemobile is in an actual band? I sort of thought that was a joke.” Gwen smacked him in the shoulder. 

“Hey, Volume Ten is a great band.” Kevin laughed loudly. 

“I’m sorry, Volume Ten? That’s the band name?” Both girls looked at each other and laughed again. 

“No, joke that’s the band name. They’re booked for some end of summer thing here in Bellwood in like a month. He’s getting us four backstage passes.” Gwen frowned. 

“Four?” Jen shrugged. 

“Pierce should be out of medical by then. I want him to have some fun cause he’s gonna be stuck behind a desk for a while.” Kevin nodded. 

“That’s nice of you. So what kind of music are we talking?” 

“Pop rock.” Kevin rolled his eyes a little. Jen snorted.  
“Oh please Mr. Kpop.” They laughed as they headed away from the doors which vanished behind them. They knew it would take at least a few days for her to work out everything from that fight and they weren’t exactly eager to go back to Ledgerdomain, having died there so recently. Gwen poured herself back into her studies while Jen and Kevin kept an eye on things. It was only when, a few days after their last trip to Ledgerdomain, Kevin’s warehouse was broken into that they got any kind of action. 

Jen was thrown into the lake of the small park as the explosion sent XCLR8 tumbling through the air. She reached for Ripjaws power and breathed easier as blue fire swirled over the lake. That couldn’t be good, but if she left the lake she’d be fried. By the time it died and she surfaced Darkstar was gone, but the Doors To Anywhere sat where the epicenter of the explosion had been. She shook herself, Ripjaws fading back to her human form as she swam to the shore. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Micheal couldn’t be happier. He’d found his way to a domain made of magic, and it was ruled over by a beautiful woman, just his age who was easily susceptible to his powers. He had her wound around his finger easily, just like he’d wound Gwen when they’d first met. He was in the courtyard of her palace fighting Jen and Kevin while the sorceress fought Gwen. He glanced back laughing as Gwen came tumbling down out of the palace. Jen leapt forward, catching her cousin careful with her since the brunette was currently in her Ultimate Humungousaur form. The sorceress floated down. He smiled at her. 

“This power is so wonderful! Come on Beautiful we can crush them all!” She stopped short of taking his hand. 

“You never call me by name.” Micheal blinked at her. 

“Sure I do!” Her pink eyes narrowed at him. 

“Then what is my name Micheal.” 

“… Heather.” She shrieked. 

Jen blinked as pink lights flashed around them. They were back in the power plant. The doors were in front of them too and Charmcaster tossed Micheal out of the doors as he begged for forgiveness and the power drained out of him. Jen set Gwen back on her feet. 

“Please! I need you!” Charmcaster shook her head, shooting an apologetic look at Jen as the doors closed behind her. Micheal was still screaming out female names that began with H. Jen shook her head.

“Shot yourself in the foot there Micheal.” The doors vanished and Micheal turned towards them. They ended up finally arresting him and sending him off to Incarcecon. Kevin shook his head. 

“Not the best of rebounds.” He stated and Gwen shook her head at him. 

“Not really.” Jen said and took off for home. Gwen pecked Kevin on the cheek. 

“Kevin, I love you but you need to learn some tact.” He frowned as she pulled him along to a small coffee shop they sometimes went to when Jen wasn’t with them. They ordered and waited. “So I wanted to talk to you. I got accepted into Friedkin University. It’s got the program I want, it’s Ivy League. And it’s on the other coast. I start in August.” Kevin grinned. 

“When are we leaving?” Gwen grinned and pulled Kevin into a kiss. 

“You’re the literal best. Thank you for coming with me.” He smiled. 

“Of course I’m coming with you, I love you. Besides I could use a break from all of this madness. No offence to Jen, she’s a great friend but I need a break from her lifestyle.” Gwen nodded. 

“Grandpa Max has a few files for us to look over. For her new partner.” Kevin sipped his coffee. 

“She’s not gonna like that.” Gwen shrugged. 

“She really doesn’t have a choice, according to Grandpa Max the higher ups want someone to keep an eye on her, a Plumber officer if not a Magister.” Kevin nodded. 

“Makes sense. And it’ll give me time to finish up my GED.” He smiled at her as she took his hand. 

“I love you Kevin.”

“I love you too Gwen.”


	27. Stitches

Gwen really wished this had happened at a better time. Well more honestly she wished it hadn’t happened at all. Kevin had taken the day off, it was his mother’s birthday, the first one they got to spend together since he was a kid. She couldn’t call him in on this. But looking over at her cousin in the passenger seat of her own car her left arm, the one without the Ultimatrix, was wrapped in medical gauze. She was currently wearing a spare tank top Gwen had found in the trunk and currently slept soundly thanks to a spell Gwen had managed. 

They’d been tracking Jennifer Nocturn and Captain Nemesis, the latter of whom had broken out of prison and by all appearances kidnapped the movie star. They’d tracked them down to a seedy motel. But the room had appeared empty, Gwen had gone to check with the night manager and make sure they hadn’t checked out. It was only when she’d heard a car engine gunning that she’d turned to check and make sure Jen hadn’t found something. She’d spotted Nemesis in the drivers seat of the car racing out of the parking lot. She’d run to the room, which had been locked. Blasting down the door she found her cousin on the floor, her shoulder a bloody wreck. She’d panicked, she would admit that it had been a long time since she’d seen Jen covered in that much of her own blood. So she’d taken her to the nearest hospital. 

That had been a mistake, she should have teleported them to the nearest Plumber base. The hospital wasn’t well equipped to handle Jen, Gwen had never quite comprehended how much the Omnitrix had changed her cousin on a physical level. Pain killers did nothing to touch the agony she seemed to be in as the doctors tried to wrestle her to a gurney. She’d torn her stitches twice as they were putting them in before Gwen’s panicked mind caught up to her and she knocked her cousin out with a spell. She should be waking up soon. As if on que a groan sounded from the prone figure strapped into the passenger seat. 

“Did they get away?” Gwen was surprised at how clear the question came out. She made to put a hand on Jen’s shoulder but paused, thinking better of it. 

“You were bleeding out on the floor when I got back to the room. They got away, but we’re tracking them now.” Jen frowned hissing as she sat up. “Don’t move around too much. You’ve got sixteen stiches in your arm, at least two torn tendons.” Jen blinked at her. 

“That explains some things. Why does it still hurt so much?” Gwen glanced at Jen. Did she not know that regular medications didn’t work on her? 

“I went to the nearest hospital.” Jen nodded slightly. 

“Ah, that explains it. They don’t have pain killers that work on me.” Gwen shook her head. 

“No they don’t. Can you let me know about stuff like that next time?” Jen nodded. 

“Thought you already knew. Where are we going?” Gwen shook her head. 

“If I had my way home.” Jen turned to glare at her, hissing in pain as she did so Gwen continued. “But you’re stubborn enough to go after them alone after this even hurt. So we’re heading to a Dr. Pervis. I called Cooper and had him hack into Jennifer’s accounts, if Nesmith is using her he’s using her money. She just wired a very large chunk of money to him.” Jen shook her head. 

“Except he’s not using her, well he might be but she’s the one who put a hole in my arm. I had Nesmith on the ropes, I wasn’t expecting her to attack.” Gwen shook her head. 

“Fuck.” Jen nodded. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kevin Levin hated missing the action, he always had. He’d admit that the weekly apocalyptic disasters were wearing on him a bit but the rush of adrenaline he got from the fight was definitely his drug of choice. Though having a nice day at the beach with his mom where no one tried to kill him was great. So that evening, after she had gone to bed he headed out to meet up with Gwen and Jen and go over what had happened while he was off duty. But they weren’t at Mr. Smoothies like they’d planned. He frowned and called Gwen. 

“We’re in the med bay, you should probably get over here, we’re gonna be here a while.” Kevin frowned putting his foot down. He reached Ed’s, the closest entrance to the Base and raced through it barely nodding to the other Plumber Agents as he went. Gwen was sitting in the waiting room. 

“What happened? Are you ok?” Gwen nodded. 

“I’m fine. Jen’s in surgery.” Kevin let out a low breath. 

“What happened?” 

“Surprisingly, Jennifer Nocturn with a textbook case of Stockholm syndrome and Captain Nemesis’s gauntlet.” Kevin hissed. That suit could do some serious damage. Gwen kept talking though. “And of course, because my cousin doesn’t know how to do things the easy way she kept fighting, tore her stitches. We got them though. Nemesis is claiming he kidnapped her but she’s being sent to the psych ward and he’s back behind bars.” Kevin let out a low groan of sympathy sinking into the chair next to Gwen. 

“Your cousin is a bit of a mess.” 

“As much as I hate to admit it, you’re right Kevin.” A voice came from the doorway. The teens looked up at Max Tennyson standing there holding a data pad. “But since I’ve got you both here, I have a few files I’d like you to look over.” He handed Gwen the data pad and sat down with them. “Just a few possible candidates for her new partner. Some are more experienced than others. But honestly I’m looking to put her with someone who can learn from her as she learns from them.” Kevin nodded. 

“These have to go then. Magisters, they’ll want too much control. And they won’t be up for the more questionable choices she has to make. Too much red tape, not flexible enough.” Kevin said flicking his finger over the screen, scrolling through the files. Gwen nodded. 

“I agree.” She said skimming through a few files. “These two are out too, head of her fan club at the Academy, and vice president of the same fan club. They’ll bend too easily.” Kevin paused. 

“This one’s promising, a Florauna. Got a few years under their belt, combat experience.” Gwen nodded at him skimming the file over his shoulder. 

“Put that one in the maybe pile. She spends a lot of time in places that it would be difficult for a Florauna to survive in. The arctic has been a favorite hideout of Animo’s recently.” Kevin nodded. 

“Fair point. Never met one of these guys before. Good combat in practice, a few missions under his belt. Flexible, toss him in the maybe pile too.” He said skimming the file. Gwen nodded and they kept at it for a while, vetoing candidates left and right. There were a lot of beings to go through. Gwen turned to Max. 

“How many people signed up for this?” Max shook his head. 

“Technically no one signed up. I put out the word to a few magisters that I trust that she’d be in need of a new partner soon. They put forward a few candidates. A lot more than I was expecting actually.” Gwen nodded at her grandfather. 

“I’m betting word got around.” Max laughed. 

“I have no doubt. I’m just hoping word hasn’t gotten to her yet. I want to keep this a bit of a surprise.” Gwen frowned. 

“She’s more likely to fight you on it.” Max shrugged. 

“She’s going to fight me on it either way. She won’t want new blood, she’ll want someone she knows how to work with. But Hellen won’t work without Manny, she and Manny don’t get along. Allen is being scouted for a team already, Pierce won’t be back to field work for a while, he’s still re-growing most of an organ. Cooper is a non-combatant. I ran short of options.” Max said shaking his head. “Besides I think new blood will do her some good.” The doctor stepped into the room and Kevin handed the data pad to Max. The doctor, an Apollonite, smiled. 

“She’s going to be fine. She tore several tendons and nicked a muscle. But we managed to heal her up nicely. There’s a small scar and we’re keeping her overnight for observation. But overall she’ll be fine.” Gwen frowned standing up.

“She wasn’t able to heal herself. But you were able to.” He nodded. 

“Part of the problem was she’d lost a lot of blood and didn’t give herself any time to rest. Even with the powers of an Apollonite there are limits, especially to healing ones self.” Gwen nodded and the three of them headed into the room where Jen lay asleep on the bed.


	28. A Moment's Peace

Dealing with Animo and his dinosaur men eggs was pretty simple and by the end of the day they were at the Mr. Smoothies enjoying a victory drink. Jen frowned around and Kevin bumped her with his shoulder. 

“What’s wrong?” Jen shook her head. 

“I’m gonna miss this.” Gwen glanced at Kevin. “Gwen’s going off to college in August.” Gwen blinked. She hadn’t told Jen that she’d been accepted yet. “Auntie Natalie told me. She’s planning a party, but you didn’t hear it from me. You’re heading off to Friedkin?” Gwen nodded. 

“Yeah I am.” Jen nodded and turned to Kevin.

“I’m guessing you’re going with her.” Kevin nodded. 

“I am.” 

“Good. I hope it goes well.” Gwen leaned forward and took Jen’s hand. 

“You know we will be back, holidays and stuff.” Jen nodded. 

“I know. But it’ll be weird to be on my own.” Kevin nodded taking another sip of his smoothie. Jen tossed her empty cup and stretched. “I’m gonna head home, I could use some sleep.” They nodded and Gwen pulled her cousin into a hug. 

“Love you doofus.” 

“You too dweeb.” Jen laughed and hugged her back. She waved as she got into her car and drove off. Kevin took another sip of his smoothie. 

“That would have been a really good time to tell her about Max’s partner idea.” Gwen shook her head finishing her own smoothie. 

“No Grandpa’s right, it’ll be harder to fight the idea in front of the new partner. If he’s smart about it he’ll brief them first, let them at least read her file.” Kevin frowned. 

“The real one or the buried one?” Gwen frowned. 

“She has two files?” Kevin snorted. 

“Yeah, I buried one for Max a while back. Only a few people have access to it and it’s nigh impossible to hack unless you’re a Galvanic Mechamorph.” Gwen frowned. 

“Why does she have two?” Kevin shrugged. 

“There are ways to kill her that aren’t public knowledge and don’t need to be. The differences are small but crucial.” Gwen nodded, the removal of the Ultimatrix. The fact that biologically she wasn’t technically human anymore, her altered metabolism, her scars, her unique medical needs. Small but crucial differences indeed. She tossed out her cup. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Max frowned. He was off planet for the first time in a while. He had a few face to face interviews to do. So far there were three candidates left for him to go through. Between him, Gwen and Kevin they had eliminated a long list of prospective partners. Some didn’t have the drive needed, others lacked experience. He had it down to a Florauna, a Tetramand, and a Revonnahgander. That was a race he wasn’t familiar with this agent was the first of his people to join the Plumbers. It was interesting that he had been put forward for consideration. Max had almost marked him off for lack of experience. But he’d been on a few missions during his time at the Academy. He’d helped head up the evacuation when Kevin had attacked the Academy. So he’d stayed on the list. He was also familiar with some of the new equipment they would be giving Jen’s new partner. But of course none of these beings knew that’s what they were being interviewed for. As far as they knew this was an easy check up on them. 

Max sat down across from the Florauna who was twisting a vine nervously. 

“Hello Magister Tennyson!” They burbled at him then hiccupped. “Is there a problem no one will really tell me what this is about?” Their eyes brightened. “Wait do I get to meet your granddaughter?” Max inwardly shook his head. This one was too excitable. The last thing they needed was a star chaser watching Jen’s back in the field. 

The Tetramand was a bit more acceptable but too battle hungry that left only the Revonnahgander before Max would have to start over in his search. The being waiting for him in the office was male, at least according to his file. He was tall at least a foot and a half taller than Jen. He smiled as Max sat down in front of him. 

“Hello Agent Rook.” The smile contained sharper canines than a human one but that didn’t bother Max, he went for drinks most weekends with a Piscciss Volann. He smiled back. 

“It is an honor to meet you Magister Tennyson. I have read about your fight against Vilgax in several of my classes.” Max smiled. Not a mention of Jen, at least not yet. The Tetramand had literally given him a com number to give to her, the Florauna had kept bringing her up. 

“Thank you Agent Rook. This is just a routine checkup for your progress outside the Academy. Tell me how things are going on Revonnah, I hear it’s not very eventful.” Rook nodded. 

“It is not very full of events as you say. The most dangerous thing on Revonnah are the Muroids.” Max raised an eyebrow. “Very large rodents, usually five feet tall at their maturity. They can be a problem but we have dealt with them since before Revonnah first made contact with the universe.” Max nodded. 

“And that contact was only made over the last twenty years or so, is that right?” Rook nodded. 

“That is correct Magister Tennyson. My people are highly traditional, many believe that technology will change our way of life for the worse instead of for the better. But several of us, myself included, believe that thinking like that will hold Revonnah back.” Max nodded. 

“Is that why you joined the Plumbers?” Rook took a deep breath. 

“I joined the Plumbers for many reasons. Yes it was in part to help Revonnah advance but there was another reason.” He paused Max nodded. Rook took another deep breath. “I was inspired by your granddaughter. I was eleven when she first defeated Vilgax. We had heard about the tyrant from the Plumber stationed on Revonnah. The thought that someone from a world not unlike my own, someone my age being able to change so much on their own, it was inspiring. Still is. I believe the Plumbers are the way I can help change the universe for the better.” Max nodded slightly. 

“How old are you Agent Rook?” The question seemed to take Rook by surprise. 

“I am seventeen years old sir. Though I will be eighteen in less than eight months.” Max nodded. He set down his data pad. 

“Let me run a scenario by you, tell me how you would react. Say you had a partner, they’re acting strange, not like themselves. Possibly threatening others. What would your first instinct be? What would you do?” Rook paused. 

“I would confront my partner, restrain them if need be and if the situation escalated, I would call for backup.” Max nodded. 

“Another one for you. Your partner goes missing, they haven’t been seen by anyone in days. Your direct superior orders you to give up the search, give up your partner for dead. What would you do?” Rook paused thinking. 

“That is a difficult question. Our job is a dangerous one, there is always the possibility that one will not make it home at the end of the day. But after just a few days?” Max nodded. 

“A few days.” 

“I do not believe that is enough time to give anyone up for dead, especially a trained Plumber. I would continue the search. Is this a test of some kind?” Max smiled. Smart kid. 

“Maybe. Last scenario. You and a civilian are taken captive. Your captor says that he will shoot one of you. It is up to you to decide who lives and who dies. Who do you choose?” 

“Myself.” He didn’t even have to think. Max nodded and picked up his data pad again. 

“Alright. It says here you’re looking for a transfer off Revonnah. Why?” 

“I believe I can do more good out in the universe than I can at home.” Max nodded again. “This is not a routine inspection of my progress outside of the Academy is it Magister?” Max shook his head. 

“You’re smart that’s good. And no, it’s not a routine inspection. It’s a job interview.” 

“Then why the subterfuge?” Max nodded. 

“Because this job is not only sensitive it is a highly sought-after position. Very few beings in the universe know the information you are about to receive but a position on Earth is going to open up within a month. A partnership with a specialist based on Earth.” Rook’s amber eyes widened. 

“Are you saying what I believe you are saying?” Max nodded. 

“My granddaughter needs a new partner, her team is leaving by the end of the month. She’ll need someone she can rely on, someone who can watch her back. I think you might be that someone.” Max said handing over the data pad. “You can refuse of course, this isn’t an order, it’s an opportunity. What do you say?” Rook blinked. 

“Why me sir? There must be hundreds of beings more qualified to work alongside a specialist who has saved the universe more than once. Why pick me?” Max nodded. 

“That’s a good question. You have experience with the tech we’ll be supplying you if you accept the assignment. A Proto-Tool and Proto-Armor to help you keep up with her. She’s not easy to keep up with. But you have drive, the right kind of drive. The same kind she has. So what do you say?” Max reached out a hand. 

“I would be honored sir.” He shook Max’s hand. 

“Good, you have studying to do. I recommend taking Conversational Earthing, maybe the Earth Society course too, just to get yourself acquainted with what you’re getting into. It can be a bit of culture shock. You’ve got a month to prep. Which should give you plenty of time to read her file.” Max pulled a second data pad out of his bag and handed it over to Rook. Rook looked down at the file on the screen. A smiling brunette looked back up at him. He really wasn’t sure how he had passed this test but if it meant working alongside a living legend he wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity.


	29. Beginning

Jen was having a nightmare. It was one she’d had before, and she found it odd that because of that it was more comforting than the others she’d had recently. But still the feeling of Malware ripping her apart was not a pleasant one and she was almost happy to start awake at a loud crash ripping through the silence of the night. She rolled out of bed crashing to the floor her dagger, which lived under her pillow while she slept, in her hand. But blinking she found that there was no threat, or at least the threat had managed to incapacitate herself. 

Albeda was laying on her floor, her feet tangled in a discarded pair of jeans. Her whole head was covered in something. Jen had no idea what it was but it was slimy and several different neon colors. Give the human-galvan’s twitching and frightened moans it couldn’t be anything good. There was a knock on her door. She slipped her dagger under her pillow as her mother stuck her head into the room and raised an eyebrow.

“Everything ok? What happened?” Jen shook her head.

“Not entirely sure. Can you call Gwen please? I need to call this in.” Her mother nodded, frowning at the figure in the fetal position on the floor. Jen picked up her communicator from the bedside table and flicked it on. 

“Plumber base, this is Jen Ten.” She only had to wait a beat before someone answered. 

“Hey Jen, it’s late why are you calling in?” 

“Hey Pierce. Um, I need prisoner transport, and possibly a medical team at my house asap please.” 

“What happened?” Jen shook her head. 

“Um. I’m not entirely sure but I’ve got Albeda of the Galvan on my floor, I think she’s unconscious, she’s got a thing on her head. I have no idea what it is.” Her door crashed open, Kevin and Gwen in the doorway both slightly disheveled. Gwen was wearing Kevin’s regular black t shirt while he wore only his pants and undershirt. “I’m gonna call you back Pierce but send the transport please.” 

“You got it.” They clicked off the call as Gwen and Kevin noticed the figure on Jen’s floor. Jen was holding back laughter as she looked over her teammates. 

“What’s happening?” Gwen asked looking down at the human-Galvan on the floor.

“Not sure woke up to this.” Jen said pointing at the figure on the floor. “Any idea what that is?” She asked pointing at the thing still covering Albeda’s face. 

“Cassiopeian dream eater. Nasty little buggers. They trap you in a nightmare and feed off the chemicals your brain puts out when you’re afraid.” Kevin said poking the whimpering girl in the shoulder. 

“Get it off me!” She muttered. 

“Can we pull it off?” Jen asked. 

“Not unless we wanna pull her face off with it. A Galvan doctor might be able to though.” Jen nodded. 

“Transport’s already on the way. Think she meant it for me?” Gwen nodded. 

“Can’t believe that she’d have brought it for any other reason, she just didn’t expect your room to be as messy as it is.” Jen laughed. 

“I didn’t expect you to show up in Kevin’s shirt with a bunch of hickies but the unexpected can be fun sometimes.” Both of them went bright red. “So were you two in the middle of something, cause if so sorry for interrupting.” Both girls broke into giggles as someone nocked on the door. Kevin backed out of the room and came back with a team. They picked up the prone Albeda and nodded to them taking her back to the Base. Jen flopped back onto her bed sighing loudly. 

“Can I just get one night of actual sleep?” Gwen shook her head. 

“Probably not, we’re gonna head out. Try to get some sleep Jen.” Jen nodded into her pillow. 

“You two behave. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” Kevin laughed. 

“You spent three days with Charmcaster. I’m pretty sure that the list of things you wouldn’t do is short as hell.” Kevin said laughing. Gwen punched him in the shoulder. He laughed again as they made their way out of the room. 

Jen managed to sleep in quite a bit for once in her life. She did feel quite a bit nervous, but the day passed by quite easily. Kevin kept working on his car, still determined to make it a submersible. Gwen was finishing up her last class, and they were all planning on going to the pier that night. But of course, their plan was snatched out from under them by an ambush by the Esoterica. They managed to get them taken care of all but one, whom they interrogated. The Esoterica were moving on the seal. Jen stepped outside and pulled out her phone. She dialed up George, stepping far away from Gwen. 

“George. It’s time. I’m going to see if I can’t find out what the Esoterica are going after, you need to mobilize your troops.”

“Very well. Contact me as soon as you know anything.” Jen nodded. 

“Stay safe, expect ambushes, we already got ambushed once.” 

“Stay well my friend.” Jen nodded and hung up the phone. Kevin and Gwen stepped out of the garage. 

“Alright, lets head out. We’ll head to the Flame Keeper’s Circle headquarters, see if we can’t find out where they’re going.” The two of them nodded and sprinted into Kevin’s car.


	30. On The Battlefield

They reached the battle a little late, the war was already in full swing, Forever Knights clashing with the Esoterica. The knights seemed to have been expecting them. Kevin landed the Rustbucket as close to the cavern holding the seal as he could. Jen turned to Gwen. 

“Stay in the Rustbucket.” Gwen shook her head. 

“No way, I’m not letting you go to war with Just Kevin for backup, you’ll need both of us.” Kevin nodded.

“She’s right, we don’t know what might be waiting for us there. You’ll need us. Both of us.” Jen shook her head. 

“We still don’t know if the Dagon can control you anymore or not.” Internally Jen was hoping their short brush with death in Ledgerdomain had at least freed her cousin from that but there was no way to tell. Jen took off down the ramp before they could argue further, wielding the sword she’d held when she returned from the past. It was a wicked piece of steel coated in Taydenite, capable of cleaving through metal and stone alike. She was gone in the blink of an eye, the knights parting for her like the red sea. Kevin took Gwen’s hand. 

“Let’s go help your idiot cousin.” Gwen pulled him into a kiss. 

“You have no idea how much I love you.” They raced off together out into the fight. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Jen wasn’t sure what she’d find when she reached the cave. The fallen Forever Knights weren’t a shock. Finding Conduit Edwards run through was less than pleasant but she had to keep moving. She did stop to check the pulse on Squire Winston. She closed her eyes for a second, finding no sign of life in the boy, he had to have been a few months younger than her. She moved on, catching up with George who nodded to her as she whirled her sword. The slimy glowing Vilgax was a bit of a surprise she’d sort of assumed that the Dagon would have killed or consumed him. He laughed when he spotted her. 

“Ah my greatest enemy! It is so fitting that you will be here in my greatest moment of triumph!” 

“You really think we’re gonna let you win, even if you’ve decided to bow to the Dagon. I can and will still beat you, just like I always have.” Vilgax laughed loudly. 

“You understand nothing child. This fight is already over.” The wall around the seal began to crumble. But instead of the cave simply collapsing on all three of them the rocks fell to reveal a swirling mint green sky. A temple, tall as the empire state building rested under that sky, though there seemed to be no life there. The seal was all that still stood in the way of the world beyond. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The rumble crashed across the battlefield and Kevin snatched up a fallen weapon from one of the Knights, it was a surprisingly green blaster. He frowned pulling his badge out of his pocket and clicking it into place on the blaster. 

‘All functions now available.’ He grinned. 

“Forever Knights have been raiding Plumber tech.” A resounding crash echoed around the field and Knights scattered away from the entrance. Gwen glanced at Kevin, true fear in her eyes. He grabbed her hand. “We can do this.” She nodded and they took off at a run to the cave. 

When they got there, past several dozen fallen Esoterica and Forever Knights, there was a scene to behold. A battle raged between Vilgax, who looked like he had been fused with a Lucubra and Jen fighting alongside George. The seal was glowing a sickly yellow. Jen was throwing fireballs at Vilgax. Kevin shook his head. 

“I thought Vilgax was dead!” He called out. Jen shook her head. 

“Which time?” She seemed resigned to their presence here, knowing there was nothing she could do to truly prevent them from fighting at her side. 

“My master grows ever closer!” Vilgax laughed stepping through the fire. “Your world will be his!” Gwen threw up a shield around them, which was lucky. A wave of light came from the seal. It sounded as though something was beating against the seal. But the light washed over the Mana shield and out of the cave. Vilgax laughed riotously.

“You are already too late! Every living being on your world has become a servant of my master, an Esoterica.” Jen glanced at Gwen for confirmation and Gwen’s eyes flashed pink. She shook her head in disbelief. 

“He’s not lying. I can’t sense billions of lives that should be there. Some of the knights are still out there but not all of them.” It seemed that Charmcaster’s theory was correct, the iron in their helmets had saved them. Gwen’s own Mana shield had stopped the transformation for them. Jen’s hands shook with rage and she glared daggers at Vilgax. 

“See the true power of the Dagon!” He cried out as he attacked shattering Gwen’s shield. Jen and George wasted no time in attacking. Jen called back to the other two. 

“Gwen reseal him! Kevin help her, we’ve got Vilgax!” They nodded racing away from the fight to regroup. George and Jen had fought together for six months, he’d taught her everything she knew about swordplay and she’d showed him that improvisation had a place in war. He’d been regimented in his training, inflexible in his ways. But no more. He’d been practicing over his long life. A solid hit from Eatle’s blast sent Vilgax hurtling through the line between worlds and George and Jen followed him. The air on this side of the line was colder, stiller almost dusty as though it had been a very long time since anything living had walked on this world. It was unsettling to say the very least.

“What is happening Slave? Speak to me!” The voice of the Dagon rumbled from the seal. 

“Your servant speaks no more foul beast!” A rumble caught their attention as the building Jen had thrown Vilgax through lifted off its foundations. 

“I speak for my master and that makes me more powerful than I have ever been!” He threw the building and Jen transformed back into herself, grabbing George and throwing both of them to the ground. She shouted something as the building came crashing down on top of them but when the rumbling stopped both of them were buried under the rubble. Vilgax laughed. “Silenced at last child!” 

“Enough of your vendetta Slave! Free me!” Vilgax grinned. 

“Consider it done, Master.”


	31. Final Betrayal

“Gwen makes this look so much easier than it.” Jen grunted, the mana shield at the tips of her fingers the only thing between her and George and the building currently resting atop them. 

“Can you move it?” George asked, trying not to shift and move his sword which was already dangerously close to Jen at these close quarters. Green lights flashed and Jen transformed into Stardust. 

“Give me a minute!” 

“Time is of the essence Jen.” 

“I know! This is a lot harder when I can’t concentrate!” George stopped talking. Jen focused and shouted out a word. “Eradico!” The building atop them went flying the debris exploding outward. 

“Quite the entrance.” Jen grinned floating out of the hole, extending a hand to George. 

“I am good at those.” He smiled back as they turned to Vilgax. He was battering the seal again and Jen summoned a ball of mana and threw it hard. It slammed into him and he went spinning to the ground. But still the seal hadn’t broken. 

“Tennyson!” Vilgax howled in rage. “I will not be denied! I serve my masters will, he will be freed.” 

“You serve no will but your own! You always have.” Vilgax howled in rage throwing another ball of energy at Jen, sending her tumbling through the air.

“Liar! I serve my master!” But Jen was good at telling when someone was holding back. Vilgax was using no more power against them then he had the last time they had fought. If he’d been truly gifted by the Dagon he could have been fighting them harder from the start. But that fact didn’t matter long, now when Gwen showed back up under the control of the Dagon. She shifted into her full Anodite form and Jen stepped between her and the seal. 

“Don’t make me fight you Gwen. I don’t want to hurt you.” Kevin and George hung back slightly, Vilgax was simply watching as Gwen walked up to Stardust. 

“You are a small one, powerful yes, with endless potential, but you lack the skills this one has.” Gwen’s voice wasn’t her own as she lifted a hand and blasted at Jen. She dodged the first blast and the cavern shook as mana met mana in a clash that had the ground cracking and smoke rising from the air. Kevin dove to the side as a large bolder came crashing to the ground. Jen went flying buried in the wall of the cavern with a groan. “All raw power, no finesse.” Gwen stepped up to the seal and began battering at it. George raced to the Stardust shaped hole in the wall. Kevin raced up to Gwen and yanked her around, away from the seal. 

“Gwen, come back to me!” 

“You cannot stop me!” He shook his head. 

“You’re wrong. I hope.” He allowed the metal covering him to seep out over Gwen’s purple skin until it cover her entirely. Once that was done, with a scream from her that set his teeth on edge, he pulled the metal back to him, leaving a helmet behind covering her head. She stumbled back to her human form and blinked at him, her eyes back to their clear forest green again. 

“Kevin!” He pulled her into his arms. 

“You’re ok.” 

“Ok is kinda relative right now Kevin.” Jen said as George pulled her from the debris. She was human again and her nose was bleeding. Jen leveled a hand at Vilgax, Taydenite growing from the ground around him. 

“My master! I need more power!” But this time silence persisted. Jen glared. 

“Looks like you’re on your own now Vilgax.” It was then that a ship came in through one of the now numerous holes in the cavern ceiling. Jen was sort of hoping that it was a Plumber ship, maybe someone had been off planet when all this went down but no, she was never that lucky. Instead Psyphon scurried out of the ship. Vilgax glared. 

“You took your time.” 

“I am sorry my lord! It took time to gather everything you needed.” Psyphon made to rush back into the ship. 

“Not yet you idiot.” Jen rolled her eyes. 

“You really couldn’t find anyone better than Psyphon to help you? You have sunk down pretty far Vilgax.” Vilgax turned to her but a voice echoed out from the seal. 

“You are all too late, the deed is done! The seal is broken!” The voice echoed around as the yellow light sheered through the cave. The seal crumbled away. But there was nothing left behind. 

“Where is it?” Kevin asked. Jen shook her head racing with George to the spot where the ship had entered the cave. Kevin and Gwen caught up with them quickly. Looking up they saw a sight that had the very blood freezing in their veins. 

“I am everywhere!” The beast was so large it filled the whole sky. It did sort of look like Vilgax’s more aquatic form but it wore armor on its face and radiated power like nothing any of them had ever seen.


	32. Retreat

George wasted no time challenging the Dagon. Jen turned to Kevin and Gwen. 

“Behind you!” Gwen whirled slamming a wall of Mana into the Esoterica who had tried to take them by surprise. Jen smiled slightly. “I have an idea, just don’t die ok?” They nodded, smiling at each other as they turned to continue the battle. 

Seeing Ultimate Way Big was something completely new and for a moment they had hope that the battle wasn’t lost. But then she vanished in a cloud of acidic rain and the Dagon laughed. George roared in rage, sending a blast of power from his sword. The Esoterica went flying. He charged the Dagon as more of the Dagon’s minions came rushing into the valley. They were tossed aside though before they could reach the two teens. Jen reformed from Ultimate Wildmutt in a flash of green. Kevin leveled his rifle and blasted an Esoterica directly behind her. She grinned. Gwen frowned throwing up a shield to buy them a few seconds reprieve from the fight. 

“You alright?” Gwen could see she wasn’t entirely ok. There were holes in her jacket and the skin visible underneath was red and irritated, probably from the acidic rain. 

“I’ll be fine.” Jen said glancing over at where George was facing the Dagon. 

“What’s the plan?” 

“Help George, that sword’s our best bet for beating the Dagon now. I am a bit worried about where Vilgax wandered off to.” Gwen blasted the shield outward knocking down the next wave of Esoterica. 

“Can we worry about Vilgax after we deal with the literal demon raining down fire?” She asked whipping a line of Mana around the next wave of fighters and throwing them into the ones behind them. Jen nodded glancing at George. 

“Just keep an eye open for him, if he managed to summon Psyphon while he was in the Dagon’s dimension then he’s planning something. Something desperate.” Kevin nodded as Jen transformed into Chromastone.

“She’s not wrong, he’s not one to just give up.” Gwen nodded as Jen raced off to George, leaping into the path of one of the Dagon’s energy beams, absorbing it and blasting it back at him. 

“George! Now!” The combined blasts had the Dagon crying out, though if it was in rage or pain there was no way of telling. But one of the drawbacks of Chromastone was that while channeling energy she couldn’t move. That got her smacked out of the sky by one of the Dagon’s tentacles. She went crashing into the Earth as George roared out a challenge again. 

“You will do her no more harm foul creature!” The Dagon laughed then screamed as George slashed, energy following Ascalon’s blade, marring the creature’s eye. Dagon roared in pain as black blood rained. 

“Enough of this!” The Dagon rose into the air above George as Kevin and Gwen rushed to the unmoving form of Chromastone in the crater her crash had created. 

“The clouds will not defend you Dagon! I will end you for all the harm you have done to me and mine!” 

“You should not fear the clouds George the Triumphant. Fear the lightning!” Kevin and Gwen pulled Jen to her feet as she transformed back to herself. She shook her head truing to come back to herself. Red lightning flashed across the battlefield temporarily blinding them all. When the lights cleared Jen was the first to react. She cried out in rage and desperation. Phasing through Gwen and Kevin’s hands she rushed to Sir George who had fallen to his knees, old once more. Ascalon was buried in the ground in front of him but Jen paid it no mind as she rushed to her friend. He was shaking, going grey. 

“I have failed, you must undertake my task. Raise the sword, defeat the Dagon.” His voice was weak as he began to flake away into dust. He looked up at the sky, beyond where the Dagon was to the stars still twinkling there. “I never wanted it to end this way. I am sorry.” She reached out to him but he closed his eyes and was gone, blown away by the wind. 

Jen whirled on the Dagon, fire blazing in her eyes as tears raced down her face. The Dagon laughed. Jen growled and took hold of the hilt of Ascalon. A flash of green blared around the battlefield. The Dagon cried out in rage and blasted at the place Jen had been but his blast was reflected back as the light died down. Where Jen had been standing was now a woman in armor very much like what George had been wearing. There were a few differences though. This armored figure had a cloak swirled around her shoulders with the symbol of the Omnitrix emblazoned on the back, clipped closed with the same symbol. But before She could do anything Vilgax reappeared on the field. Gwen blinked and Jen resplendent in her shining armor was in front of them. 

Vilgax’s plan became clear when he stepped smartly out of the way of Dagon’s blast only for it to be caught in the machine that Psyphon had brought. It was the same machine he had used to drain the power from ten heroes of ten worlds. Because the Dagon’s very being was made of power it was quickly absorbed into the machine. Vilgax laughed standing in front of the machine. 

“You know what to do Psyphon!”

“No!” But they were too late, Psyphon was already transferring the power to Vilgax. He cackled as the red light that had been the Dagon enveloped him. Jen swung the sword and the machine exploded sending Psyphon flying but the deed was done. 

“The Esoterica worshiped me as the Dagon! Now I am the Dagon!” Vilgax crowed triumphantly from his new place in the sky, he had taken on the giant form of the Dagon. Gwen grabbed Kevin’s hand and Jen’s shoulder and shouted out a spell as Vilgax used the Dagon’s power to fire on them. He cackled in triumph as the dust cleared revealing an empty crater where the three humans had been.


	33. Long Time Coming

Kevin blinked. They were standing in a dark room. Gwen wavered and he caught her as Jen made her way over to a console and clicked it on. Despite the armor she made not a sound as she moved. The sword in her hand glimmered, the Omnitrix symbol in the hilt glowing. Kevin steadied Gwen. 

“Are you ok?” She nodded but he guided her into the nearest chair anyway. Jen smiled under her helmet. 

“That is a new record for you, South Dakota. Nice.” Kevin frowned at her words. 

“Wait does that mean we’re…” Jen nodded. 

“Inside the mount Rushmore base yeah. We don’t have long though probably a few minutes at best.” She whirled her sword as Vilgax’s voice echoed around them. 

“Tennyson! You cannot escape from me!” Gwen typed up the exterior cameras and Kevin swore as they spotted the Esoterica climbing the mountain. 

“Oh I don’t like our odds.” Gwen rolled her eyes. 

“That’s only because you never bothered to read the manual.” Her fingers flew across the keys. Lasers blasted over the encroaching Esoterica and Kevin grinned. 

“I love you so much.” Gwen grinned at him. Her hands were shaking slightly though as Vilgax’s voice echoed around them again. 

“You will not escape me!” Gwen leapt back to her feet and she and Kevin rushed forward as the whole base creaked but they were both blasted back as the front face of the base was ripped off. Vilgax cast aside the face of George Washington. Gwen and Kevin groaned from their spot on the floor. Jen stepped past them whirling her sword. Vilgax laughed. 

“I hold the powers of a god child! What will you do against me? What new transformation will you try? Or perhaps one of your tiresome Ultimate Aliens?” Jen shook her head. 

“I don’t need to transform this time. I have all the power I need here.” She gestured to the sword. Vilgax growled. 

“Azmuth’s sword will not be enough to save you welp!” The two foes charged at each other as Gwen and Kevin sat up. 

“Someone should have done this a long time ago.” Jen said as she leveled the blade at Vilgax. At the last moment she stepped to the side and drove the blade up and into Vilgax who cried out in shock. Power rippled through the room forcing Gwen to throw up a shield around herself and Kevin. When the light died again they found Vilgax on the ground holding a bleeding wound. He was no longer glowing as he had been since he had returned from Dagon’s dimension. No instead he looked just as he had when he had vanished through the seal. 

“You stabbed me!” He sounded almost affronted. Jen rolled her eyes. 

“Oh don’t be such a baby all I did was take the Dagon’s power from you.” Gwen stared at her cousin. Indeed she now glowed with the godlike power Vilgax had held up until a moment ago. Vilgax leaned back on the destroyed wall and laughed lightly. Kevin frowned. 

“What are you laughing at? You lost.” Vilgax ignored him though. 

“You are an interesting creature Jennifer Tennyson. You hold all power in your hands, the Ultimatrix, Azmuth’s sword, and the powers of the Dagon at your fingertips. What will you do with it?” Jen blinked seeming to only now realize that he was right. She lifted a glowing hand seeming to examine it. Gwen stepped forward but Vilgax wasn’t finished talking. “You and I are very much alike, we mold the world around us to suit ourselves. Use the power Jen Ten.” But he got no further. Kevin had absorbed the stone of the mountain and smashed a fist into his head. 

“Shut the fuck up.” He told the unconscious bleeding figure before turning back to Jen who still hadn’t spoken. 

“Jen?” Gwen asked, her voice full of trepidation as if she was unsure what her cousin would do next. Green met green as Jen looked up at her cousin. 

“He’s right about one thing. I do have the power.” She raised the sword which glowed white. Gwen threw up an arm to cover her eyes. Kevin grabbed hold of her holding on worried what would happen when the light cleared. But within a moment the light died. Kevin blinked around. Nothing had changed. Gwen laughed, one hand to her head. 

“What? What happened?” She was grinning. Jen answered his question. 

“I fixed what the Dagon did. I turned everyone on Earth back into themselves. I put right what George took too, the way he wanted it to be. But I’d like it if that stayed between us. There is something else I have to do too.” Gwen frowned as Jen sheathed the blade the glow of the Dagon’s power vanishing with the armor. The blade hung innocently at her side. “All anyone needs to know is that we won.” She pulled a pair of cuffs from thin air and fixed them around Vilgax’s wrists as the coms crackled to life. 

“This is Magister Tennyson putting out a general call. All Plumber’s who are able check in now!” Gwen stepped over to the console and pulled her badge from her pocket. 

“This is Agent Tennyson checking in.” 

“Agent Levin too.” Kevin said stepping up next to her. 

“Gwen! Kevin! What the hell happened!” They glanced at each other. 

“It’s a long story Grandpa. Jen’s here too.” Gwen glanced over her shoulder but her cousin had vanished. Kevin pointed to another console. A ship was taking off. 

“She did say she had something else to do.” He said. Gwen rolled her eyes. 

“Scratch that Grandpa she just took off in a ship heading off planet. No idea where she’s going. But we’ve got Vilgax here, tied up and ready for prisoner transport to the Null Void.” Max sighed. 

“So we won?” Gwen nodded. 

“That’s one way of putting it. I’m sure she’ll tell you the whole story when she gets back.” Max sighed. 

“I’m sure she will. I’m sending a team to your location to pick up Vilgax. Head home with them once that’s done.” They nodded. Kevin took Gwen’s hand. He smiled at her, she pulled him into a kiss. 

~*~*~*~*~*~

Jen pulled into Primus’s atmosphere and smiled as she stepped out of the ship. She could feel the planet reacting to her presence, the trees parting to guide her way to the place she needed to go. She smiled as she stepped up to the one standing structure on the planet. It was large, big enough to house the larger of Azmuth’s assistants. She was met at the door by Eunice who grinned and hugged her. 

“It’s good to see you Jen.” She smiled. 

“You too Eunice, but is he here?” The blonde nodded. 

“He is, says he’s been expecting you.” Jen laughed lightly. 

“He would.” She stepped past Eunice and into the main lab. Azmuth was sitting in the lab and smiled at her. 

“I see you’ve taken up Ascalon.” Jen nodded drawing the sword but keeping the point down. 

“Yes, and defeated the Dagon with it. Took its power from Vilgax who stole it in the first place.” Azmuth nodded. 

“What will you do with it?” 

“I’ve already done all that I wanted with it. Now, I don’t need the Dagon’s power, I don’t want it. The safest place for the sword is back with its creator. And the power that goes with it.” Azmuth shook his head. 

“That is the reason I know you’re worthy of it. But if you insist I will destroy the sword and the power along with it. Is that what you want?” Jen nodded. 

“It’s too much for any one being to have.” Azmuth smiled. 

“You’ve grown so much since I first met you. Set the sword down here.” She nodded and followed his instruction. The device closed around the sword and Jen watched as it atomized in a flash of light. She turned to leave but Azmuth spoke again. 

“Before you go I have something for you.” Jen frowned as she turned back to him. He nodded to a box on the table. She stepped over to it and paused. He nodded again. “Open it.” She tapped a finger to the box which retracted and gasped at the item inside. It was a brand new Omnitrix, slimmer and sleeker than the original model, with a white band instead of a black one. 

“Why?” 

“Because you’re finally ready for the finished Omnitrix. The one you stumbled upon six years ago was a prototype. The Ultimatrix was an improvement on the prototype but never the finished device. You’re ready for the real one.” Jen smiled and nodded as Azmuth hopped over to her and picked up the finished Omnitrix. With a quick spin to the dial of the Ultimatrix it fell to the ground, quickly replaced by the new device. Jen stumbled slightly as the power from Master Control faded and breathed out as Azmuth placed the Ultimatrix in the same device that had destroyed Ascalon. She watched as it too vanished from existence. She smiled lightly at Azmuth. 

“Don’t suppose I could convince you to give me back Master Control?” Azmuth laughed. 

“I’ll let you figure it out on your own this time.” Jen laughed loudly. Azmuth smiled at her.


	34. The More Things Change

Jen arrived back on Earth the next day to a party. The final preparations for Earth becoming an open system had gone through at last. The countries of the world were coming together to gradually introduce this to the world most of whom already knew about aliens from everything that had happened. The Plumbers were celebrating another planet joining them in the free planets of the universe. 

Before anyone knew what was happening the final weekend of July was upon them and Pierce, Jen, Gwen and Kevin headed to the End of Summer festival. Ken greeted them with hugs all around. He introduced Pierce and Kevin to the other members of his band, a girl their base guitarist, and the drummer. Ken himself was lead vocals and guitar. They had a spot backstage where they could watch everything that was happening. Pierce grinned. 

“I’ve never been to a concert before.” Jen grinned at him. 

“I kinda figured.” They grinned and danced and partied the night away. Once Volume Ten took the stage they were well into the night. Ken had hinted to Gwen and Jen that he might pull them onstage to help him sing the final song of the night, one they had grown up singing together. So it didn’t come as a surprise when he pulled the girls out onstage to riotous applause. The final song went off without a hitch and the crowd cheered so loudly it shook the stage as they went off. They grinned at each other as Ken and his band treated them to dinner after the festival. The next morning found them having breakfast with Gwen’s parents. 

“I’m so proud of you Gwen.” Her father said lifting his coffee. “Cheers to you graduating early!” They all raised their glasses. Jen was feeling a bit melancholy. This was the end of an era, at the end of this breakfast Gwen and Kevin would be driving away off to Gwen’s college on the other side of the country. Jen smiled as they all raised their glasses. She frowned as her com unit beeped. 

“Excuse me.” She stepped away from the table and pulled the com unit out of her shirt. “Hello?”

“Jen, Zombozo’s been spotted breaking into the brain bank on sixth. I wouldn’t have interrupted but…” Jen nodded. 

“No, I get it thanks Pierce. I’ll head out after him in a minute.” 

“I’ll let the cleanup teams know to be ready for your call.” Jen nodded and headed back to the table. 

“Hey guys, um bad guy on the loose I gotta run.” She pulled Gwen into a hug. Gwen pulled back slightly. 

“Do you want us to come with you?” Jen shook her head and reached out to shake Kevin’s hand. He scoffed and pulled her into a hug giving her a quick nooggie. 

“No, I can handle it. I’ll be on my own from here on out, so I better get used to it.” She grinned and waved at her aunt and uncle as she ran off. Kevin pulled Gwen into his arms. 

“Joke’s on her, her partner lands today.” Gwen laughed at her boyfriend. Everything was going to change now, but maybe that would be for the best.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be an Omniverse story too I promise. If you're curious as to the song they sang together look up Here I Go Again, the version that was done for the Magicians. That's what I picture for it.


End file.
